White Horse
by AnnikaMalfoy
Summary: Bella thinks she's found her knight on a white horse. What happens when Alice catches him doing the unthinkable? Who will pick up the pieces? Will Bella ever be able to forgive Edward? Or will it be too late? All human.
1. Friends

**A/N: Please bear with me on this one. This is the first time I had to start a story that didn't have everything about the characters laid out in front of you. Also, all of the original characters will be present with the exception of Carlisle and Esme. I just couldn't find a place for them. Also, some people will hate some aspects of this new Edward that I have to create. I hope that isn't many. And if you do, don't flame because they will be deleted. Let's get started shall we. **

**BELLA**

"Hey Bella, seeing as it's Friday and I have absolutely nothing to do, you wanna drive to Seattle tonight. We could shop and maybe see a movie?" asked my best friend since kindergarten, Mary Alice Brandon A.K.A. Alice, as she placed her lunch tray on the table and slid into the chair next to mine.

Thankfully, I had just put a sporkful of salad into my mouth and couldn't answer right away. I hated when this happened. I wanted to say yes to Alice but I already had plans with my boyfriend of one year, Edward Masen.

"Actually, Alice, she and I are going to Port Angeles tonight for dinner and a movie." Edward answered before I could swallow the salad.

He then put a slightly possessive arm around my shoulders. I didn't mind too much. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything, just protective. He was actually the best boyfriend that I ever had. He held doors for me and carried my books. Everything the perfect gentleman would do. He was always so sweet and caring. I wish I could saw he was perfect but we'll get to the flaws later.

Alice's face fell when Edward told her of our plans.

"Oh." she said and looked meaningfully at me. "Do you think that Jasper and I can double with you then?"

Jasper Whitlock, Alice's boyfriend of three years, was a quiet and impassive but sweet young man. He was very intuned to the emotions of everyone around him and always knew how to make a person smile. He didn't speak much but when he did, he was very insightful. He usually didn't care what he and Alice did on dates, so long as the were together. That was all that matter to him.

I shurgged my shoulders like I didn't care then Alice and I looked to Jasper, who was sitting next to Alice. He too shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. Finally, I turned to look at Edward. He had planned the whole thing and I wasn't really sure if he would mind the intrusion.

"Actually, Alice," he said. "I was hoping it could just be Bella and I tonight. Sorry."

Alice glared daggers at him. Wonderful, they were about to start fighting over me again. I hated that they played this tug-of-war game with me. Sometimes, I just wanted to slap them both.

I suppose I should explain. Neither Alice or Edward liked to share with eachtoher, especially not me. I suppose it stems from the fact that they were both only chidlren of singel parents from when they were infants until they were fifteen. Alice's father ran out on her and her mother while Edward's mother died during chidlbirth. Both children were spoiled and never had to share anything that belonged to them.

That was until three years ago when Edward and his father moved to Forks Washington from Conneticut. Their parents met at the grocery store and the married six months later.

Alice and Edward didn't like each other much. I think the both thought that the other was stepping on their territory. I've never understood it, myself. However, they agreed to be civil, as long as they stayed out of each other lives, because it made their parents happy. And that's all either of them wanted.

The arrangement worked perfectly until a year ago when I realized that I was falling for Edward. Things got even worse when he revealed that he had been in love with me since the day he met me. Alice didn't like that we started dating. In her eyes it was the furtherest that Edward could get into her life. What could be closer than a girl's best friend? However, she didn't stop it because it was something that made me happy. My happiness was something that she couldn't deny.

I appreciated that. However, the fighting was beginning to take its toll on me. Why couldn't they see how much this was bothering and hurting me. I sighed and looked at my salad for a minute before speaking.

"Okay, this is what's going to happen. Alice, you and Jasper are going out somewhere tonight." I stated. "And Edward and I will have our date. Then, tomorrow, you and I will spend the whole day in Seattle doing whatever you want."

I knew I would regret the promise later. She'd probably insist on buying me a whole bunch of clothes that I didn't need. But if it stopped her and Edward from going at it, then I'd do anything.

"Really?!" Alice questioned with a broad grin on her face.

"Really." I stated after only a second's hesitation.

"But Bella," Edward said sounding a little irritated. "I thought we were gonna watch movies at your place all day. Because Charlie wasn't going to be there."

"I know, Edward and I'm sorry but we have to comprimise somewhere. My time with Alice is just as important to me as my time with you. I promise we'll reschedule." I answered.

"Fine." he said. "We'll jut do it Sunday."

"I can't." I replied biting my lip. "Charlie and I are going to LaPush to visit the Blacks and Clearwaters."

Edward rolled his eyes.

"You know I don't like you spending time with Jacob." he stated sounding a little angry.

"I know but they're family friends." I replied. "I just can't tell Charlie that I don't wanna go. Besides, I know and trust Jacob. He's like the older brother I've always wanted. I promise you have nothing to worry about."

Edward tends to be jealous and slightly possessive at times. It's not something that would amount to anything in the future. He's just been hurt a lot in the past and is very insecure. I sometimes have to remind him that my heart beats only for him. I just wished he would remember and get over it.

"Fine." He replied still sounding irritated and angry. "We'll just do it next weekend."

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was very unhappy about this. Not only did he have to share his weekend with Alice but with Jacob too. Sadly, there was only one thing that I could think to do that would make him feel better.

I stretched myself up until my lips met his. I slid my tongue nagainst his bottom lip in a playful manner and he opened his mouth to let me in. He kissed me back hard and passionately.

I hated that this was the only way to rid him of those negative feelings. You see, Edward is more into the physical and sexual aspects of our relationship. He doesn't really think much of the emotional ones. It's not that he doesn't care or won't talk, because he will. It's just that sometimes he needs some kind of incentive to open up to me.

We haven't actually had sex or anything yet. We have had many hardcore maken out sessions though. He even managed to talk me into giving him a blow job once. Once I finished, I decided that I didn't like it and refused to do it again. I knew he wasn't happy about it.

He never really came right out and said. I could simply hear it in some of the side comments he makes or certain body gestures. He's never asked me to do it again though. And never tried to force me either. That's what made him so great in my eyes. I could handle the comments because it was his way of letting out frustration. I understood completely.

We continued to kiss while Alice made gagging noises behind me. I laughed into Edward's lips as his tongue continued to tangle with mine. We didn't stop until I felt something small and hard sting the side of my face.

"Get a room!" Emmett McCarty, another of our group, yell.

I looked down at my tray to see a red M&M laying in my salad. I looked up after Emmett's yell to see him reaching into a bag of M&M's and laughing his head off. He slid into the seat across from Jasper as I glared at him.

"Sorry about him." Rosalie Hale, Emmett's girlfriend of two years, said with a small chuckle.

Rosalie was the most beautiful and popular girl at the school. She had long blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She was tall and slender with a decent sized chest. Her popularity brought out a slight smugness in her. However, I've never met anyone as loyal or kind as Rosalie.

She had been friends with Alice and I since the first grade. It was lunchtime and Rose was new. I invited her to sit with Alice and I, then some dumb kid stole my Milky Way. Rose decked him and took it back. We've been friends ever since. Even when her body filled out and she started getting more attention than us. She never left us. She said that if people couldn't accept her friends then they weren't worth knowing.

"You know how immature he can be at times." she added flashing him a loving smile.

"Yes, but it's my immaturity that makes me so lovable and you know it." Emmett teased and Rosalie pecked him on the cheek.

The rest of us laughed at their exchange. The rest of lunch passed by in blur of talking and laughing. My problem of being shared by Alice, Edward, and Jacob had been forgotten. All too soon, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang.

We dumped our trays and headed to our next classes. Edward and I had Biology together. He swooped his books as well as mine up into one hand and grabbed my hand in his other and we headed toward the science wing.

There wasn't much time for a conversation. We only had five minutes to push through the crowd of students and make it halfway to the otherside of the school. We walked quickly as Edward pushed past several students who were milling about. Not caring whether or not they were late.

We were halfway there when I felt to strong hands shove me hard from behind. The unexpectedness of it caused me to trip and fall forward. I heard a familiar high pitched evil laugh and looked up to see Jessica Stanley, the bane of my existence.

Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. It left a clear view of her beautiful features. Which included her emerald green eyes. I noticed that they had a hostile glint to them.

"Watch where you're going slut!" She said with a giggle then flounced down the hallway.

I heard Edward growl in her direction as he bent down beside me. He held his hand out and I took it, allowing him to help me up.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I replied. "No, she didn't hurt me."

"Good." he replied and pulled me into a hug kissing the top of my head. "Don't listen to a thing she says. She's just jealous."

I knew that all too well. Jessica used to be friends with Alice, Rose, and I. That was until Edward came into the picture.

Edward was the hottest thing that Fork's High School had seen in years. Girls were throwing themselves at him. Including Jessica who did everything she could to flaunt her tall but petite body with her nature double d at the age of fifteen breasts. Edward had turned everyone of them down, though, because he was holding out for me.

Once Jessica found out that Edward wanted me instead of her, she went ballistic. She told me that she could no longer be friends with a boyfriend stealing bitch. Then, as way of revenge, she told everyone the only reason Edward was dating me was because I was willing to sleep with anything that moved.

THe rumor didn't bother me as much as losing Jessica as my friend did. I knew the rumor wasn't true. Edward knew it wasn't true. My father knew it wasn't true. Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett knew it wasn't true. Those were the only people's opinions that mattered to me.

Losing a friend like Jess was hard though. She was such a wonderful person and we had so many great memories. I wished they weren't tainted by the ridicule and abuse she tried to put through on a regular basis.

"Come on." Edward said after checking me over, just to be sure I really wasn't hurt. "We're going to be late for class." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the science wing.

**A/N: What do you think of this chapter? I hope it wasn't too boring. I was really just trying to establish relationships, really. I hope it came out okay. Also, I hope the Alice and Edward issue wasn't dumb. I've had some friends with step siblings and they say the hardest part is feeling like someone is stepping on your life. I hope that I didn't carry that over badly. Let me know what you think. Please review. **


	2. Complications

**BELLA**

The rest of the day passed in a boring blur. Thankfully, I didn't have another run in Jessica. I knew I shouldn't let her get to me. She was hust jealous that I had the thing that she wanted. However, the girl scared me shitless. I knew she wopuld go to great lengths to get what she wanted. I wouldn't find out how far she'd go until a month or so later.

I was at home making my father, Charlie's, dinner. I didn't have to do it but after my mom died when I was ten, I took up the job of taking care of him. I learned to cook and clean so he wouldn't have to. I knew how hard he worked at the police station everyday. He didn't need the added stress of coming home to a dirty house and no dinner. It was the least I could do for him.

I felt guilty tonight, though. Due to my date with Edward, I had to to rush to get everything down. Dinner consisted of spaghetti and a quickly made salad. Plus, I was only able to do half the cleaning I normally did.

I was just finishing up when Charlie walked through the door. I heard him hang up his belt and head to the kitchen.

"Hey Bells." he said when he reached the doorway. "It smells great in here."

"Thanks." I replied with a smile. "It isn't much but I don't have a whole lot of time. Edward will be here in an hour and a half and I haven't even started getting ready yet."

"I forgot that you guys we're going out tonight." he said. I could her the disapproving tone in his voice. He had never liked Edward. He said he had a feeling the boy was going to hurt me. I didn't understand why. It's not like the guy treated me badly or anything. I would later regret not listening to Charlie's feeling. "Well, you go get ready. I think I can handle serving myself. And I can take care of the dishes as well."

"Thanks, dad." I replied and ran up the stairs.

Normally, I would've taken a nice soothing, hour long bath. Tonight, however, I was in a hurry and Edward hated it when I was late. It was one of those flaws that I had learned to live with. It seemed really ungrateful to complain about the little things when he did so much for me.

I was in and out within fifteen minutes. It took me another half hour to decde what I was going to wear. II had to be careful not to show off too much of myself. That would set off Edward's jealousy. Finally, I decided on a pair of tight light blue jeans with a navy blue top. The top was semi-low cut, only showing off less than an inch of cleavage. It was longsleeved and tight but not enough to emphasize my breasts. I study myself for ten minutes before I decided on a pair of black converse to complete the ensemble (A/N: I have terrible fashion sense. Please, don't yell at me.)

I wanted to straightened my hair but didn't have too much time. Instead, I put some moose in it and scrunched it up to enhance my natural curls. I put a vary light layer of make up on. Edward often told me I wore too much. He said he wanted to see my beautiful face, not something that was painted on. Sometimes, though, I had a feeling that he just didn't want other men to see me with make up on.

Surprisingly, I had finished with about ten minutes to spare. I grabbed my purse, that I only carried for special ocassion and shoved my wallet, cell phone, and some extra cash (just in case) in it. I then headed downstairs to wait for Edward.

Charlie was in the living room watching the football game on the flat screen. I was surprised that he had finished dinner and the clean up already. When I made it down the step, Charlie looked me up and down confusion written on his face.

"You're wearing that on a date?" he questioned.

"Yeah." I replied confused. Most fathers would kill to have their daughters go on a date dressed this conservatively. "Is there a problem?"

"No, you do look nice." he replied. "It's just most girls your age, like to show themselves off for their men."

"Edward, doesn't like it when I show myself off." I replied. "He says there's no need for me to be uncomfortable around him. Besides, isn't every father's dream to have a daughter that doesn't show herself off?"

"True, but Bells, you shouldn't be this covered up. You're going out with a boy who should like to see your body. Yet, he tells you not to. That doesn't sound like a healthy relationship sweetie."

"Dad, do you have to fight about this?" I complained. "Edward, will be here in five minutes. And I know you don't like him but could you just except that he's what I want. Just let the other stuff go and stop trying to convince me to stop dating him. Please."

"Okay, Bells, I'm sorry." he replied sadly. "It's just I worry about you, sometimes. It's my right as I father and I can't help that I don't like him. I just feel like he's going to hurt you."

"Dad, he loves me and I love him." I replied trying to stop being angry. "He's not going to hurt me. I promise, so stop worrying."

"You're my baby girl." he replied. "That's not possible." I smiled at that. He was really a great dad. He really did deserve more credit than I gave him. "Do you know how late you'll be?" he asked.

"Well, were driving to Port Angeles for dinner and movie. So it probably won't be until close to one o'clock. Is that alright?" I answered. I figured it would be best if I asked for the extended curfew instead of assuming it would be alright.

"I don't know if I like you being so far away so late at night." he replied.

"Dad, please." I gave him my sad puppy dog face and he smiled.

"Nearly twelve years later, I still can't resist that face." he sighed. "Fine, but have your cell and call me if anything happens. I'll be there."

"Thanks, dad." I kissed him on the cheek as I heard a car horn blow.

"Can't he come in and get you?"

"You know he always does, we're just short on time tonight. I love you, dad and I'll see you when I get home."

I rushed out the door before Charlie could get another word in. There was my prince waiting for me on his white horse (A.K.A. his shiny and very fast silver Volvo). When I reached the car, I opened the passenger side and slid in. I was greeted with a long hard kiss. This one felt different from any of the others. It sort of felt like an apology.

"Hello love." he breathed once he broke the kiss.

"Good evening my prince." I said with my best imitation of a princess. It was difficult to pull off to do the lose of air.

"And so how was your evening?" he asked before I could recover from the kiss.

"Same as always." I replied. I really didn't want to get in a conversation about Charlie. He was a topic that always made Edward angry. I didn't want this night ruined with a fight about my father. "So what's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, I've made reservation at Olive Garden (A/N: Not sure if there's one in Port Angeles but use your imagination.) then I got online and bought us tickets for the nine o'clock of _He's Just Not That Into You. _(A/N: Unfortunately, I have yet to see this movie. I want to so bad though.) I remember you mentioning that you wanted to see it." He answered.

I smiled at him. He really was a great guy. Olive Garden was my favorite Italian resturaunt. He took me there every time we went to Port Angeles. Plus, I had mentioned that I wanted to see that particuliar movie but it was to Alice. I didn't even think Edward was listening to the conversation. He returned my smile then interlaced his fingers with mine.

We talked about school for the rest of the ride. I did some Jessica bashing as well. I noticed that Edward fell oddly silent at that point. He didn't say a word my entire rant. And I swore I saw his lip curl upm in anger for about half a second. It was gone, though, before I had a chance to ask him about.

I quickly turned the subject to his family. Thankfully, it was enough to get rid of the stony silence from him. We talked about his dad and Alice's mom. Ironically, he loved Mrs. Masen (A/N: Brandon before marriage.) like a mother. I was confused by that. How could he love Alice's mother but dislike Alice the way he did? Alice was the same way with Mr. Masen. I guess no matter how much I tried, I'd never figure it out.

Dinner was great. I wasn't a big eater and simply ordered my usual; chicken parmesean with a side of spaghetti and a diet coke. Edward got the chicken alfredo with a diet coke as well. Our conversation moved from family on to other things. I honestly, couldn't remember much of the things said when I was with him.

I was way too overwhelmed with how beautiful he was and how much I loved him. I could see how much he loved me in his eyes. I just wished he would've said it more. However, whenever I said it to him. He mumble something like "Ditto. (A/N: A special preview of my next chappie for anyone who can catch that movie reference.)" or "Me too." Once again, I kept my mouth shut about it though. I figured it had something to do with his security issues.

We made it to the movie with about five minutes to spare. Thankfully, the movie had been had been out for a couple weeks and it wasn't that crowded. As the movie began, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I laid my head on his shoulders. I loved seeing movies with him. It was the perfect time for me to just revel in my love for him. Our movie times were the times when I felt closest to him. I didn't know what it was about the scene that made it so much better for me than most couples. Maybe, it was because Edward didn't insist upon making out. Thank God, because he paid twenty dollars for both of us. I didn't want it to be wasted. The movie ended around eleven o'clock. We walked out to the parking lot and got in the car.

"Are you ready for me to take you home?" he asked. He was sweet enough to ask after every date. If there was something else that I decided I wanted to do, like getting ice cream or a late night snack, he would take me.

"Well," I said coyly. "I don't have to be home for another two hours." I moved closer to him and pressed my lips to his.

No, I wasn't trying to seduce. I knew making out was something he really enjoyed and it was the best way I could thak him for thye wonderful evening. He slid his tongue into my mouth and wrapped his arms around me.

I somehow managed to manuever myself around the gear shift without breaking our kiss. I ended up straddling him as we continued to kiss passionately. This kiss felt more normal than the one he gave me earlier. This was sweet but full of a passion that I felt with him many times. I allowed him to snake his hand up my shirt and cup my breast in his hand. I moaned as he continued to kiss and fondle me.

Less than a minute later, I felt his boner poking close to my vaginal area. At the same time he started tugging at my shirt. Great, he just had to ruin things, again. Most of our dates ended the same way. We'd make out but he'd let his hormones get the best of him.

"Edward, stop!" I said exasperated.

I pulled my fingers out of his hair and extracted myself from him. He looked disappointed and a little angry as I settle into my seat.

"Why do you always have to ruin it?" I asked trying to keep myself calm. "I keep telling you that I'll let you know when I'm ready, okay?"

He sighed and grabbed at his hair in frustration.

"I know and I'm sorry." he said. I could tell that he too was trying to keep his calm. "But you have no idea what you do to me. The feel of your skin against my. The taste of your beautiful lips and the tenderness of your breasts. It all feels amazing but I need more. I'm going crazy here, not being able to do more with you. I want every bit of you that I can have."

"I know." I replied sadly. I hated this conversation. It always made me feel like a shitty girlfriend. I knew, though, that I had to stick with this. I had already given in too much with that blow job. I wasn't going to give him anymore. "But Edward, I'm not ready for that step yet. Yes, I love you. And yes, I trust you. But that's an important part of me that I'm not ready to give to you, yet. Why can't you understand and respect that?"

"I do." He replied and I could see his anger rising again. "But you have to understand and respect that I have needs to. Needs that only you can provide."

"I'm sorry, I can't provide them yet." I stated staring at my hands. I could feel the tears in my eyes.

He was silent for a long moment. I saw him taking deep breaths and starting to calm.

"It's okay." he finally said. "I should be able to control myself better. You're not ready and I need to respect that. I'll just have to focus my attention on something else until you're ready. I'm sorry. I'll try to keep it under control next time." He kissed the top of my head and laced his fingers with mine.

"Thank you. " I replied and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."

"Me too." He answered. I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder. "Do you want me to take you home now?"

"That would probably be best."

He nodded and put the car in gear. The ride back to my place was a silent one. We didn't even turn the radio on. I think we were both too upset about this aspect of our relationship to even think of anything else to say.

When we arrived at my house, he walked me to my door. Our goodbye kiss was short and a little detached. I hated that this issue was making it so hard far us to keep our relationship moving forward. I was worried it was slowly destroying what we had.

He waited until I was inside to head back to his car. I watched him out of the front window. The second he got back into his car, I noticed that he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number before taking off.

I was too emotionally exhausted to care what it was about at that particuliar time. I wished I had paid more attention to it, though. Maybe, then I could've saved myself soem heartache.

After letting Charlie know that I was home, I went to my room, collapsed on my bed, and cried myself to sleep.

**A/N: What do you guys think? Okay, I know Edward's character seems all over the place in his attitudes. The thing is, he's slowly changing from great guy to jerk. It isn't something that happens overnight. It is a very slow confusing thing. At least, that's what I've heard from friends who have been in that kind of a relationship. I hope it's coming over okay. Please review. I'm so excited about the response that I've been getting already. I appreciate you guys taking the time to tell me how you feel about the story. Please, keep it up. **


	3. Best Friends Forever?

**A/N: I'm sadden by the fact that no one caught the movie reference. It was from the movie **_**Ghost **_**with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. Demi's character would always say I love you but Patrick's would respond with Ditto. I really liked that movie. I was hoping more people saw it. Anway, on with the important stuff. First, I put up a new poll. I want to know if you guys wanna see things from Edward P.O.V. or not. And finally, yes, the story is the Bella/Edward/Jacob triangle, however, it is also partly about the strength of Alice's and Bella's friendship. Which is why this chapter is here. **

**ALICE**

I woke up at seven thirty on Saturday morning. I was too excited about spending the day with Bella to go back to sleep. It had been months since our last girls' day. Edward had a habit of cropping up whenever I wanted best friend time.

I hated him so much for crossing the line into my life. I mean, come on, how much deeper could you get than I girl's best friend. He could've had any girl in our school. Why did he have to pick Bella? Of course, she wanted him too. Which made things worse for me because I couldn't ask her to break up with him. He made her too happy for that.

I couldn't ask her to forego her happiness for me. It just wasn't right or fair to her. She deserved to have what she wanted. Even if it was my annoying and nasty stepbrother. I wished she could see what he was like when she wasn't around.

He wasn't a jerk or anything but he wasn't the perfect prince she thought he was. He could be downright nasty when he wanted to be. I wished she could see that.

I could, however, see a little more of his real self coming out as the months went on. I could see the possessiveness and jealousy. Especially when she talked about spending time with Jacob Black. Which was absurd because Jacob was Bella's oldest male friend. They had been together since they were in diapers. If anything, he was like a big brother to her. Nothing more. Edward didn't seem to grasp that.

I also noticed that he had been telling her what she could and couldn't wear. Great, that controlling nature that I had seen with all of his other girlfriends. They had all caught on before it was too late. However, I worried that Bella might be just a little too lovesick to realize what was happening.

I didn't have pick Bella up until ten thirty, which wasn't for another three hours, so there was no point in going back to sleep. Instead, I took a nice hour long bath and took my time getting ready. (A/N: I'm not going into details on this. It's too boring too write so I know it would be too boring to read.)

It was nine thirty when I looked myself over in the mirror. I was wearing a pair of tight dark blue jeans with a purple tank top that had lace around the edges. It was long cut showing a classy amount of cleavage. I had on by high-heeled zip up black boots. My short black hair was spiked up with moose. I had a thin layer of make up on which included light purple eyeshadow and a small amount of red blush with the perfect shade of lipstick.

I sat on my bed to put on some jewelry when my Envy 2 blared Pink's Stupid Girls. I flippeed it opened and found I had a text from Rose.

_Hey, Al, Em got grounded 2day and can't do nething. Come get me. So I can join you 2 in Seattle. _

I laughed at how she just invited herself. It didn't bother Bella and I either way. We were so close that we could just invite ourselves to hang out with the other two. It's what we did.

_Kay. Txt Bells and tell her. Let her no well b there in 30 min._

I pressed send then laid the phone on the bed and grabbed my jewelry box. I pulled out the locket that Jasper had given me for our one year anniversary. It took me a minute to get it clasped around my neck. Then I pulled out the Best part of the Best Friends Forever set that Bella, Rose, and I had and slid it onto my wrist with ease. My phone blared again.

_She'll be waiting 4 us. _

I closed the phone and stuck it in my pocket. I grabbed my handmade Whiskey Girl blue jean jacket (Bella, Rose, and I made them for a Tobey Keith concert we went to a few months ago.) and headed downstairs. It was only then that I realized I hadn't heard Edward all morning. He was one of those crazy brainiac kids who got up early on a Saturday and did their homework. Was he sick or soemthing?

My mother and stepdad or Ed, as he preferred me to call him were already sitting at the dining room table when I stepped in.

"Good morning." I said cheerily.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Ed said putting down the paper to look at me.

"Morning baby." my mom said as I kissed her cheek. "And where are you off to today?"

"I'm going to Seattle with the girls today." I said. "I told you last night."

"Oh, that's right." my mom answered.

I chuckled at her scattered brainedness as I headed to the kitchen. I fixed myself a bowl of lucky charms and a glass of orange then carried it back to the dining room.

"So what time did Edward get home from his date last night?" I asked. "Usually, he's up by now."

"Oh, he didn't come home last night." Ed replied once again putting down his paper. "He called and said that phe and Bella fought so he was staying at James's to let off some steam."

"Oh." I replied.

Something about that didn't seem right to me. I mean it was entirely probable that Edward and Bella fought last night and he needed to let off some steam. However, if it was over what I think it was over, he didn't spend the night James's to do it. I hoped that I wasn't right.

I finished my breakfast in silence contemplating the possibility of where Edward was. I wouldn't say anything to Bella, of course. I had only suspected things about him but had no proof either way. I wanted to be sure before I had to break her heart.

After putting my dishes in the dishwasher, I kissed my mom and Ed goodbye and headed to my yellow porsche that Ed bought as a bribe to get me to like him. I told him that I didn't need a car to like him. He had been a better dad than my biological father from day one. I think I loved him like my father even before he got engaged to my mom. However, he insisted that his monety was my money.

The Masen come from old money. I couldn't remember how they had gotten it. All I knew is that once he married my mother, we moved out of the shabby two bedroom apartment and into the Masen six bedroom house. I was given a new car, an Envy 2 (A/N: My favorite style cell phone), and four credit cards that I could use whenever I wanted.

I didn't take advantage of the money, though. I knew what it was like to be down and struggling. Which is why I worked as a cashier at the local convience store. However, Ed told me to just put my paychecks and tips into a savings account so that I could have a decent start when I got out on my own. He told me as long as I was under his roof, I was to use his money for whatever I wanted or needed.

Like I said, I loved him like a father before he even got engaged to my mother. So, no, I didn't love him only for the money. I jumped in the prosche, pulled my designer sunglasses out of the glove box, slid them on and headed to Rose's house.

I had to wait an extra ten minutes when I got to Rose's house. She was the only person I knew who took longer than I did to get ready. I do have to say though, we both had the same wonderful sense of fashion. Somethikng that we tried hard to instill into the Bella as well. Unfortunately, it didn't work very well.

When we finally pulled into Bella's driveway, she was sitting on her porch with her arms crossed over her chest. She got up and ran to the car.

"You're late." she stated as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Blame Rose." I stated.

"Hey, do you think that I just wake up looking this good?" she questioned.

We all laughed as I pulled out of Bella's driveway.

"So, Rose, what did Emmett do that he got grounded for?" Bella asked after a few minutes.

"We went to a party last night and he got totally wasted. His mom was awake when he came home and busted him." Rose explained. "He's been grounded from me for a month."

"Awwww poor Rose." I teased. "No getting laid for a month."

She swatted me playfully on the arm while Bella laughed. I could tell that it was forced and uncomfortable. I was going to ask her what was wrong but she spoke first.

"And what is Jasper doing without your company, Alice?" she asked.

"His mom is having a candle party tomorrow and she's helping her cook and set up." I explained.

"That's nice of him." she replied.

I wanted to ask her about her date with Edward. Maybe find out what they fought about. However, I was afraid to bring it up. Whenever we talked about Edward, it turned into a fight. I didn't want that to happen today. It was our first girl's day in forever. I didn't want to ruin it.

Rose, however, couldn't read minds and delved into the conversation. She had know idea that I didn't want to got there.

"So how was your date with Edward, Bella?" she asked.

Bella groaned.

"What happened this time?" I asked unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"What always happens?" I asked.

I sighed. Sex. It was the biggest problem in their relationship. You see, Edward lostnhis virginity at the age of twelve and has loved sex ever since. Or at least that's what he's told me. Bella, on the other hand is still a virgin and wishes to remain that way. Edward had issues contolling his hormones. She'd make out with him and stuff but he'd always try to push it to the next level. I worried that he'd get sick of trying to sweet talk her one day and just force himself on her.

"Did he try to force you?" I asked. I had to make sure.

"No." she said. "He always stops when I saw and never tries to force or pressure me into going any further."

I snorted but covered it with a cough. I hoped it was convincing. She always told me that he didn't try to pressure her. If she didn't think that him getting a boner and trying to undress while they were making out was pressure than I'd like to know what she did think was pressure.

"Why do you have to do that?" she asked exasperated.

"Do what?" I countered.

"I heard the snort." she said. "You werre never very good at hiding them."

"I'm sorry." I replied. "It's just that your idea and my idea of pressure are two very different things."

"So if I don't feel like I'm being pressured what should your definition matter to me?"

"If you don't feel like your being pressured, how come you call me at least once a week, after one of your dates, and cry about how you think you're a bad girlfriend because you won't give him what he needs?"

"Are you really that upset that we are together? That have to try to convince me that he's a bad boyfriend. I mean, simply because he wants something I don't want to give him. I should feel bad because he does so much for me!"

"No you shouldn't feel bad!" I yelled. I was angry at Edward for getting her to feel this way. She didn't deserve it. "You are special and your virginity is special to you. There's nothing wrong with that. If he really loved you...."

"Don't even go there, Alice!"

Wonderful, we were in a full blown arguement. The one thing that I was trying to avoid today. Why did my step brother have to taint everything. I opened my mouth to respond but Rose took over before I could.

"Stop it, both of you!" she said. "This is supposed to be a girl's day. We are supposed to be laughing and happy. Not arguing over stuff. So let's just drop the Edward subject and have a good time. Can we do that, please?"

"Fine." Bella and I said at the same time.

Bella leaned back into her seat with her arms crossed over her chest while I kept my hands clenched on the wheel and stared at the road. We were silent for a few minutes until Rose mentioned seeing the new Johnny Depp movie. We then got into a discussion about his hotness and the Edward spat was forgotten.

We spent the rest of the day laughing and shopping. We even ended up seeing the new Johnny Depp movie. We didn't mention Edward again and I ignored the feeling in my stomach that told me he was doing something he shouldn't be.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Please, review. I love all of you feedback. **


	4. The Mistakes We Know We Are Making

**A/N: Okay this chapter is going to go back to Friday night because I had only one person vote in my poll and they wanted a little of Edward in this so I'm going to put a little of him in it. I will warn you though his thoughts will be a little confusing. He isn't quite sure how he feels about some aspects of what he's doing. Also, yes, Edward is friends with the "bad vamps" but no they aren't really vamps. I'm haven't decided if I want it to turn into somkething later or just leave it the way it is. I guess I'll see where the muses take me. They told me to use those characters so that's what I do. We'll just have to wait and see where it goes. **

**EDWARD**

Once Bella was inside, I sighed and walked back to my car. I cursed myself as I pulled out my phone and hit the number two speed dial. I hated myself for doing this to Bella almost every night but I had needs that she wasn't willing to provide. It only made sense for me to go to someone who would provide them, right?

"Hi, Edward." Jessica Stanley answered in her seductive and teasing voice. "What? You didn't get enough of me earlier?"

"You know I can never get enough of you." I said in the same teasing tone.

Yes, I hated myself for hurting Bella. Yet, at the same time, I loved the time I had with Jessica. She was so much different than Bella. Bella always wanted me to be gentle in the little buit that she allowed me to do. Jessica, however, liked it rough. I know that sounds like a terrible thing to say about a woman but there's no other way to describe it. The girl actually let's me tie her up! Bella would never allow that even if we were having sex. That's why I needed Jessica. She gave me everything that Bella couldn't and wouldn't.

I didn't love Bella any less, though. If I had to choose between her and Jessica, it would always be her. Jessica was a whole different world. She was smart and funny. Not anything like the airhead she pretended to be because she thought it attracted men. She was quite insightful on a lot of things. She was not just my "fuck buddy" she was a good friend and really great to talk to.

Yes, she could be cruel to Bella at times, but can you really blame her. You'd probably act the same way if you had to watch the person you were sleeping with, hang all over some other girl. Still, that's one of the things that makes her so different from Bella. She's not afraid to tell Bella what she thinks. Sometimes, she does it inm unacceptable ways. And I did tell her when I lthought her attitude was unacceptable.

I mean it's not like I was lying to Jessica. She knew going into the whole thing that it was for the sex and that's it. Granted, we had become friends over the eight months that we've been sleeping together. However, she knows that I'll never leave Bella for her. I supposed that's what made her so mad about the situation.

I knew I was hurting them both but I couldn't stop. I liked the thing Jessica did for me and how great a person she was to be around. However, I couldn't imagine my life without Bella. I just couldn't decide which one I needed more. So I would continue to hurt Jessica and eventually Bella. Until I lost them both. Too bad I didn't know just how soon I would lose them.

"So does that mean you want me to meet you at the apartment?" she asked. I could hear the smile in her voice but it was laced with sadness. She knew our relationship would never go beyond that room. I think that hurt her worse than anything else.

"Yes, I'll be there in twenty minutes." I replied. I tried to sound at leasty some wait happy but I was feeling extremely guilty about this whole situation.

I didn't understand why Bella couldn't have just given me what I wanted. Then I wouldn't have had to resort to this. That way we could all be happy. Well, except maybe Jessica. She wanted me for so much more than just sex. I could never give her everything she wanted, though, because those parts belonged to Bella and they always would.

"Alright." she replied. "I'll see you there."

"Yup." I replied and flipped the phone shut without even saying goodbye.

I drove for another five minutes before I realized that I almost forgot to call my father. I needed to give him some kind of lie about where I'd be tonight. He'd probably kill me if he knew that I was going to his and my stepmother, Carol's private apartment. It was where they went when they wanted to be alone without having to worry about myself or Alice walking in on them. Sadly, it's happened before, with both of us.

Jessica and I had been using that ever since our first night together. As guilty as I felt about alll of this, that memory still brought a shudder of pleasure through me.

**FLASHBACK**

It was the week of spring break our sophmore year and my best friend, James was throwing a party. It was supposed to be the biggest bash in the history of Forks, Washington. He older brother, Laurent, had just turned twenty-one and was able to get a keg along with several other alcoholic beverages. The party was actually in the woods so there was less chance of us getting caught by the police.

Bella had refused to come because her father, Charlie was the chief of police and she didn't feel right drinking underage because of that. Plus, her mother had been brutally raped and murdered by a bunch of drunk guys in Port Angeles when Bella was ten. Drunk people, specifically drunk men, scared the hell out of her because of that. I understood her feelings completely but I liked me some alcohol and James was my best friend. I couldn't just tell him that I wasn't coming because drunk people freaked my girlfriend out. I would be laughed at. Not only by him but by his brother and most of our friends.

Besides, it was the perfect night for her to spend time with Alice and Rose. They had known Bella since they were five and six which meant they were pretty close to her mother. The whole drinking thing freaked them out too. It wasn't as bad as with Bella but it was still there for them.

Instead of going to the party, the girls stayed at home and watched chick flicks all night. I had spent most of the night drinking and talking with James, Laurent, and James's girlfriend, Victoria. We played beer pong along with the whole have/have not game. I was sadly disappointed to be losing a lot of the game.

Mostly, they were all talking about sexually acts. Now, before I met Bella, I was having sex at least once or twice a week, sometimes more. Girls just couldn't get enough of me but she didn't want to have anything to do with any of that. I supposed it had something to do with what happened to her mother. I understood her feelings but it didn't help my male ego. I didn't want to admit that I been dating Bella for four months hadn't gone beyond second base with her. I knew I couldn't get away with lying. Victoria had an uncanny way of being to call people on there lies. So I had to admit it to everyone as the game went on.

Natrually, I got more and more drunk as the game continued. A bunch of other kids joined us as we played. Jessica was one of them. She was already three sheets to the wind by then. I didn't think she could take much more.

She wasn't much different drunk then sober. She was still trying to hopelessly throw herself at me. I tried to ignore her but there was soemthing different about her that night. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or something else but she suddenly looked pretty than she ever had. Hell, she actually looked sexy in her extremely short skirt, fishnet tights, stilleto boots that went up to her knees. And that beautiful tight leather corset. I didn't know why but I suddenly wanted to put my hands all over her body. Bella wasn't even a thought in my mind.

"I have not slept with my ex-best friend's boyfriend." she said with a suggestive smile at me. I returned the smile thinking how great the would be. I was finding it very hard to keep it down while she rubbed up against me as most of the circle took a drink.

"I have not cheated on my girlfriend with her ex-best friend." I said winking at her. She winked back as most of the circle, once again, took a drink.

We continued playing the game for another twenty minutes or so. Jessica continued with her slut act. I was surprised to find that I wasn't finding it replusive at all. Don't get me wrong, I'm a man and I enjoy sex. However, I can't stand women who act like it's all they want. Yet, I found Jessica actions that night, quite arousing.

At some point in the game, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. I wasn't sure if I would've poushed her away, had I been sober or not. All that pent up frustration from Bella's refusal was getting to me so I kissed Jessica back hard and furiously. I let my fingers tangle in her hair. All thoughts of Bella were gone from my mind.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" she asked breathless as we pulled apart.

"Yeah." I replied with a drunken half smile. "I know somewhere we can go."

Now, I'm not stupid. I left my volvo parked outside the trees and we stumbled to the apartment building where it all started. It was only about a ten minuted walk from where we were. Dad had given me a key in case I ever got drunk and needed a place to crash. Well, I was drunk and I did need a place to crash.

I'd just keep the part about the girl a secret. The minute we stumbled into the apartment, Jessica's lips were on mine and she was frantically fumbling with my belt. Minutes later, I was experience the most amazing blow job I'd ever had. I remembered thinking, if she was this good when she was drunk, I wonder what she'd be like sober.

Just before I released, I tried to remove myself from her mouth. I knew a lot of women were digusted at the idea of having someone cum in there mouth. She, however, refused to open up enough to allow me to get out. I ended up cumming down her throat. She, simply swallowed it. I don't know what it was about that but it got me off even more.

I, of course, flipped her over on the bed and returned the favor. She tasted amazing. She moaned when my tongue flicked her clit. I did it a few more times just to tease her. Her moans continued as I switched from my tongue to my fingers.

You can probably guess what happened from there. It was the most amazing sex that I had ever had. I didn't think I could've ever felt anything better.

The next morning, however, was a completely different story. Once I was sobered up and the full effect of what I had done hit me, I felt terrible. How could I have done that to Bella? I loved her with all of my heart and soul. Why did I let one drunken slut get to me like that?

I disentangled myself from a still sleeping Jessica and got my clothes back on. I wanted to beat my head against the wall until I beat the stupid out of myself. Not only had I betreyed Bella in the worst possible way, I had made it ten times worse because Jessica was Bella's best friend turned worse enemy.

I knew then that Bella could never find out what happened. She'd probably leave and never forgive me. I didn't think that I could live with this. I paced the room for two hours before Jessica woke. She didn't remember exactly what happened at first. I, however, remembered most of it and explained to her everything that happened. I told her how sorry I was and that it was a mistake. I wanted Bella and no one else. I told her I couldn't be like this with her ever again.

She cried a little but understood. We had breakfast then walked back to the volvo and I drove her home.

**END FLASHBACK **

I wished it really had ended that day but a month later, Jessica called me crying. Her boyfriend, Mike Newton had dumped her for Eric Yorkie (A/N: Sorry that seemed like a funny pairing I had to.) She told me that she needed someone to make her fell loved and beautiful. That particuliar night, Bella and I had a make out session turned fight about sex and I needed a relief. So we met at the apartment and did it again, several times.

We decided that from that night on, whenever one of us needed a release, we'd be there. It was happening more and more as my relationship with Bella got more and more intense. I swear the girl got sexier everyday. It was hard to even sit next to her without getting aroused.

Jessica and I had taken to getting together three or four times a week. We even got together a couple times on some days. I felt more and more guilty as time went on. At the same time, though, it got more and more comfortable. I couldn't imagine getting through a lot of my tension without Jessica.

I pulled myself out of the past and flipped my phone back open. I pressed the number three speed dial and it rang twice before my father answered.

"Edward?" he answered.

"Hi, Dad." I replied. "Listen, I'm going to stay at James's tonight. Bella and I had a fight and I need to relieve some tension. I hope that's alright."

"Of course, it is." he stated. "Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Just behave yourself."

"I will. Bye dad."

"Bye son."

I flipped the phone shut and drove the rest of the way to the apartment. I saw Jessica cute little lime green bug convertible (A/N: My dream car.) sitting in the parking lot. I parked a good distance from it, not wanting to attract attention. Then I headed into the building to repeat the mistakes that I had been making for the last eight months.

**A/N: Let me know what you guys think of this one. I'm not very happy with it. However, whenever I think it's bad the reader's love it. So I'll wait and see what you think. Unfortunately, I don't know the mind of a cheater. One would hope there'd be some guilt but I don't know. I hope that it did turn out okay. Also, I'm sorry for the half ass sex scene. First, I'm tired and couldn't come up with anything good. Also, this is rate T and I wanna try to keep it that way. Everyone of my stories except three are rated M and I wanted a switch. I hope you like it anyway. Please review. Please be honest if you don't like it. I'll try it again if I get a lot of complaints. **


	5. Painful Memories

**A/N: I just want to make a little note. Leah and Seth Clearwater will have bigger roles in this story. Thanks to the all human factor, I haven't decided if Sam is still going to be with Leah or not. It won't be all that important but I just thought I'd let all of you know. Also, this is your warning. This chapter contains a flashback of the night Bella's mother was murdered. It's not very graphic but there is rape involved. I wanted to keep my T rating but this part is a little important. It'll give you a better understanding of Bella's thoughts on sex. **

**BELLA**

"Hey Bells, are you ready, yet?" Charlie called up the stairs.

It was Sunday and we were getting ready to head to La Push for the day. I decided that I was going to put all of my worries over Edward out of my head for awhile. I was going to spend the day with my best guy friend, Jacob Black, whom I don't get to see very often anymore.

Edward doesn't like me hanging out with Jacob. He's worried that I'm going to leave him for Jacob, which is completely insane. Jacob and I had known each other since we were in diapers. He's always just been the brother I had always wanted. We acted just like brother and sister. We, of course, had the occassional peck on the lips and hand holding thing. But all good friends did that every once and awhile. Alice and I did it all the time. Why should Jacob be any different? I wished Edward would've understood our relationship. Sometimes I couldn't stand my boyfriend.

Wait, I wasn't supposed to be thinking about my problems with Edward. I was going to hang out with Jacob and we were going to have a good time. I didn't care what I had to do to keep it that way.

"Five more minutes, dad!" I called back.

My intent was to get up a couple hours early to straighten my hair. My alarm, however, had different plans. It decided that it wasn't going to work and I ended up sleeping until about ten minutes ago. I didn't even have time to shower.

I simply threw my hair into a messy bun and hoped it didn't look too bad. I put on the first thing that came out of my closet. That turned out to be a pair of tight dark blue designer jeans (A birthday gift from Alice), a blue spaghetti strapped tank top that revealed maybe an inch or two of cleaveage and a pair of backless tennis shoes. I knew it was going to be a little chilly so I threw on my blue jean Whiskey Girl jacket.

As I looked in the mirror, I thanked god that the Blacks and Clearwaters didn't give a shit what I looked like, because, quite frankly, I felt that I looked like an utter trainwreck. I had bags under my eyes and looked extremely pale.

I knew it was from all the stress of my relationship with Edward. I was losing a lot of sleep over the whole sex issue. I was so worried that he was going to get sick of waiting for me and find someone else. I didn't want that to happen.

He had no idea how badly I wanted to give him what he needed but I just couldn't. Even though it was over seven years ago, the memories of what happened to my mother were still fresh in my mind.

Yes, Edward did know how my mother died. However, he had no idea that I witnessed the whole thing. That was something only my father, the other officers on her case, Jacob, Alice and Rose knew. I wasn't sure why I hadn't told him yet.

I supposed I thought he would look at me differently. I couldn't stand it when people treated me differently because of what I've been through. Which is why I kept the secret from everyone except the ones who needed to know. Besides, my relationship with Edward was happy, for the most part, he didn't need to know the details of my past.

**FLASHBACK~ SEVEN YEARS AGO **

It was a cold and rainy September evening and my mom and I had gone to Port Angeles to buy me a new dress for my eleventh birthday part. Which was a week later. My mom had wanted to wait until the next day but I cried and begged for her to take me that night. She, of course, gave in.

We arrived in Port Angeles around six o'clock and stopped for some dinner. As we exited the resteraunt, I noticed there were some scary looking men staring at us and grabbed my mom hand. She must have noticed them to because she practically dragged me back to the car faster than I had ever seen her move in my life.

She was shaking a little as we drove to the little children's boutique. When we parked she told me to stay in the car until she opened my door. I could tell those men had seriously freaked her out so I did as she said.

I watched her as she checked every which way to make sure that we weren't followed. She was still shaking when she opened my door and told me to get out. I did and we hurried into the boutique. I noticed mom kept a watch out the window as I picked out and tried on several pretty dresses.

I could tell she was in a hurry to get out of there. I wasn't sure why she was so scared. Yeah, those guys looked scary but what could the really do, you know? Still, I tried my best to pick something quickly but there were so many pretty dresses to choose from.

I finally made my decision an hour later. My mom paid the cashier and we headed out the door. Mom got me in the car quickly but she never made it in herself.

I heard muffled male voices then mom let out a small squeak. I peeked out the window to see what was going on. Two of the men from earlier had grabbed her and were dragging her toward the dark alley between the boutique and a resurant. I wasn't sure what was going on.

I was ten and all I knew was that someone was trying to take my mom away from me. I needed to stop them so I got out of the car intending to tell them to stop. I got grabbed from behind and a cold nasty smelling hand was placed over my face before I could say anything. I let out a few muffled cries as I was carried off to the alley with my mother.

By the time I was back there, the two men had my mother against a way. They were both looking at her in a way the made my skin crawl. I had no idea what they were planning to do. I could just barely see her face but there were tears streaming down it and her eyes were wide with fear.

After a few seconds, her eyes fell on me. I was still being held by the man who had grabbed me. Her eyes grew even wider and she tried to fight against the men who were holding her against the wall.

"Not my baby!" she begged. "Please, don't hurt her!" I could see the tears running even harder down her cheeks.

"Don't worry, love." a voice came from behind us. "We won't have to hurt hr if you do everything we say."

A man stepped out of the shadows. Unfortunately, I can't remember the details of what happened after that. I wasn't sure if it was because they knocked me out once the finished with her or if I had surpressed them because it was just too traumatic for me.

**END FLASHBACK**

I remembered my mom agreeing to do what they said. I also remembered all four of them took turns forcing her to do some of the worst things imaginable. I didn't know what they were doing at the time. It was until I was about thirteen that I started asking my day questions about what really happened.

Answering my questions was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He had to explain to me that they raped my mother and killed her. The killed part I understood very well. The rape part was something that I only just started to understand at the age of thirteen.

The day Charlie and I talked about it, I felt like I was reliving the whole thing in my head. There was much crying on both of our parts. I could only imagine how Charlie felt having to to tell me those horrible things.

Like I said, I couldn't remember a lot of the details of that night, however, certain words, thoughts, feelings or even places would bring back certain images. Most of the time it would be very settle but sometimes, I would break down at those thoughts.

The most memorable and humilating time was when Edward had convinced me to give him the blow job. I told him I would try it because it would make him happy. It started out okay. I could tell that I was giving him a lot of pleasure and that made me feel good. That was until he spoke. He grunted the words, "Oh yeah, baby, that's feels so good."

I was suddenyl bombarded with images of my mother on her knees in front of those disgusting men. They were forcing her to suck them and taunting her with their words. I pulled myself away from Edward and got violently ill into his trash can. Which was, thankfully, right next to his bed. After I emptied my stomach, I started crying and couldn't stop.

I told him that In never wanted to do it again. When he asked me why, I just told him I didn't like it. Then I left to find Alice. She knew what he didn't and could help me better than he could. He was sad but understood when Alice told him that I just needed my best friend. I still haven't explained it to him.

I pulled myself out of thoughts of the past and applied some make up. It was just a little conealor to hide the fact that I looked like I was dying. I hoped Jacob wouldn't notice. I didn't feel like talking about it.

I then went downstairs to a waiting Charlie.

"Are you alright, Bells?" he asked. "You look like death?"

"I'm fine." I lied. "Edward and I are having some problems and you know me, I worry about everything too much."

"Yes, you do." he replied. "Especially about that boy. Maybe, he's just not worth the stress anymore baby."

"Dad, let's not do this. Let's just go visit our friends."

"Fine." he sighed.

I knew that he was right about not stressing so much about Edward and the sex thing (He didn't know about the sex thing, of course.) but I couldn't help it. I couldn't lose Edward. I didn't think that I would survive it. He was my everything and I had to hold on to him.

As we walked out the door, I remembered my promise not to stress about me and Edward today. It was all about me and my La Push friends today. Friends who I hadn't been able to see in weeks. I wasn't going to let anything or anyone ruin it.

**A/N: Sorry about the ending. This one was supposed to go into her day with Jacob. However, it's getting late and The House of Night is calling to me. Plus, I feel her talk with Jacob is just as important as her past and I didn't want one foreshadowning the other. I hope you all understand. I also, hope that this didn't turn out too bad. Is it believeable that she would feel this way after it happened to her mother not her? I wasn't sure. It sounded pretty right to me. But I don't know much about the mental effects of rape. Anyway, please let me know what you think. The next chapter you'll get a better idea of Jacob and Bella's relationship. There a little closer than Bella wants to admit. I think I may even do it from Jacob's P.O.V. I think it might add a little more to the story. Please review and let me know what you think. **


	6. More Than You Know

**A/N: I've made a decision about the Sam and Leah thing. They are still going to be together since this story is all human. I don't like the heartbroken and cynical Leah very much. I figured she was much happier and nicer when she was with Sam. I hope you guys don't mind. **

**JACOB**

I was very excited about seeing Bella today. It had been weeks since the last time that we were really able to get together. All because of her stupid new boyfriend, Edward. He was crazy jealous and extremely possessive. And I hated it.

He didn't really want Bella hanging around me or any other guys for that matter. He acted like she belonged to him. Which wasn't right. She didn't belong to anyone but herself. I swear he was so possessive that it was close to controlling. Which could possibly turn into abuse later in the relationship. That was soemthing that I didn't want to think about at all. I was half tempted to rip off his head at the possibility of him hurting her like that. She didn't deserve it.

Then there was the sex thing. I hated him him for that too. See, Edward is what I like to refer to as a man whore. He likes sex. However, Bella has issues with it. It has a lot to do with her mother who was raped and killed seven years ago. She hadn't yet got over it. Could you really expect her to? He did, obviously. And I hated that about him too.

Edward didn't seem to understand how Bella felt about what happened to her mother. Granted, he didn't know that she had been forced to watch the whole ordeal. She didn't even understand what they were doing to her mother. Then she had to relive the whole night when she got to the age where she started understanding about sex and rape. I hoped that she didn't tell him because she didn't feel the relationship was strong enough to handle it. Which meant that she could eventually get some sense. I really prayed that was the case.

I worried about how much longer he would allow her to tell him no. He seemed like the type that would get sick of waiting and just take what he wanted from her. I couldn't imagine that happening to Bella. She was already messed up enough after what happened to her mother. She didn't need it happening to her. She didn't deserve it. She was too kind and beautiful for that. In fact, she was too kind and beautiful for someone like him.

I supposed, if I was being honest with myself, I should tell you that no man is good enough for Bella. That was for two reasons. First, Bella deserved perfection and there was no such thing as a perfect man. Second, I'm in love with her and have been since the second grade. I know that sounds crazy but it's true. If she couldn't have perfect, I wished she'd settle for me. At least, that way I knew she was being loved and cared for.

"Jake, the Clearwaters are here." Billy yelled from the living.

I got up off of my bed and went into the living room. Harry, Leah, and Seth were standing around in our small living room. Billy was going fishing with Harry and Charlie and Leah, Seth, Bella, and I were going to hang out all day. I greeted all three of them with a nod.

"So Charlie's not here yet?" Harry asked.

"No." Billy replied. "He said Bella hasn't been getting much sleep recently so she was a little late getting up this morning. They'll be here soon."

Harry nodded but I freaked. If Bella was loosing sleep that meant that she and Edward were probably having issues again. And Bella had a tendency to stress way too much. Especially over her relationship with Edward.

"What do you mean she hasn't been sleeping well?" I questioned Billy. "What's the problem?"

"I don't know, Jake, but I'm sure she'll tell you if she wants you to know." Billy answered calmly.

"Right." I said trying not to flip out over something might not even be an issue. "Well, guys, let's head out to the garage. Billy just send Bella out when the get here."

"Sure Sure." Billy replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Leah, Seth, and I walked out the back door and into the garage. I had finihsed working on my rabbit about a year ago and we didn't have much else to use the garage for. Which is why Billy let me turn it into a kind of hang out for my friends and I. It wasn't anything fancy. Just a couch and a couple of chairs. I put an extra radio out there as well. It was mostly just a place where the teenagers could go and talk without the adults over hearing. Billy didn't seem to mind giving me my privacy and I appreciated that.

"So I'm assuming by the way you flipped out about Bella not sleeping very well, that she's still with Edward?" Leah questioned once we were all inside and comfortable.

"Unfortunately." I answered looking at my hands.

"Dude, when are you gonna tell her how you feel?" Seth asked.

"I've been meaning to but I just haven't found the right time." I replied.

"I find that hard to believe." Leah stated. "You've known how you felt for ten years now. There has to have been a good time in there some where. I think it's something else."

I didn't say anything for a minute. She was right it was something else. Something that I didn't want to admit to myself let alone to her and Seth. However, she stared at me with her penetrating gaze that could crack even the hardest stone.

"Okay, I'm scared." I stated. "There, you happy! I'm scared that she's gonna get freaked and run from me. I'm worried if I tell her, she won't want to be my best friend anymore!"

"I understand." Leah answered. "But you're never going to be truly happy until you tell her. Besides, it could be what sways her from that asshole. But you won't know unless you tell her. Who knows, she might even love you too."

"Okay, but what if she doesn't and she stays with him." I countered. "Even worse, what if she doesn't want to stay friends with me. I won't be able to protect her from what's to come. And you know that things with him are only going to get worse. He'll be able to push her into anything before long. I don't want that to happen."

"Neither do we." Leah replied. "But if you want to be truly happy, it's a risk that you're going to have to take. You owe it to yourself and to Bella to get those feelings out there. How knows what could become of things."

I knew in my heart that she had a point. Yet, I couldn't stop worrying about the what ifs. The thought of rejection and losing my best friend weighed way too heavily on my mind. I couldn't bring myself to do it, even though, I knew it needed to be done. The door opened to reveal Bella before I could think on it too much more.

I took in her appearance and understood exactly what Billy meant when he said she hadn't been too much sleep. Her hair was thrown, carelessly, into a bun on top of her head. I could see the dark circles underneath the concealor under her eyes. I could also the dead look on her face, even if the paleness of it was covered with concealor. She looked utterly exhausted. I surpressed a growl at what _he_ had been doing to stress her out so much.

"Hi, guys." she said in an attempt at a cheerful tone. We could all see right threw it.

"Hey, Bella." we replied and she smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Speaking of her eyes, I had just know really looked at them. They not only looked dead and tired but they were bloodshot like she was trying very hard not to cry. I could tell something was really upsetting her but she didn't want anyone to know what it was. I got up off of my chair and threw my arms around her.

"Oh Bells, what's wrong, sweetie?" I asked in a sympathetic voice. I was more than prepared to go over to Edward's and beat the shit out of him.

"Nothing." She replied pulling away, "I'm fine."

"Please, Bells, I know you well enough to know when there's something wrong. And there's something wrong. So spill." I stated.

"It's just that Edward and I have been fighting a lot lately. But it's fine. Today is my day to hang out with you guys, I don't want Edward to screw that up." she replied shaking her head.

I could see the tears trying to force their way down her cheeks. She blinked furiously to try to keep them from falling.

"But this looks like something that you need to talk about." I said soothingly. "I'm your best friend and it's my job to listen when you need to talk. Regardless, of what was supposed to happened. There will be plenty of other days where we can be Edward free. If you need to talk, then we'll talk."

She nodded and some tears slipped down her cheeks. I felt rude just leaving Seth and Leah sitting there but Bella needed me. I turned to them with an apologetic look.

"Guys, do you mind, if Bella and I take a walk?" I asked. "I'm not sure how long we'll be."

"That's fine." Seth said.

"Yeah, we'll find something to do." Leah agreed.

I knew they's both understand. They cared about Bella's well being as much as I did. And it was palin that she really needed soemone to talk to at the moment. I grabbed Bella's hand and laced my fingers through hers like I always did and pulled her toward the beach.

We sat on the beach a little above the tide line. This was our favorite place to just sit and talk. We both felt a sense of peace here. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and she laid her head on mine.

"So what's going on?" I asked.

"Well, Edward and I have been having The Fight a lot the past couple of weeks." she replied. She had been referring to there sex issues as The Fight for about seven months now. I think that she thought it made them sound less bad if she didn't come right out and say it. "And when that happens, I tend to dwell on what happened to my mother. I feel like he doesn't understand what I'm going through. I feel like he's only thinking about himself when it comes to this. And I know that I shouldn't feel that way about him. Not after that he does for me but I just can't help it. I don't know what to do with him anymore. He doesn't seem to understand that even the littlest of things could bring the memories back for me. I mean if he were to say something or even groan, I will lose it. And I'm so worried that he's going to get sick of waiting for me to be okay with it and move on. I don't know what I'd do if that happened."

Tears were running down her face and her voice cracked several times druing her speech. I stayed silent through all of it. Even though, I wanted to say several choice cuss words aimed at the asshole. However, I held my tongue because that would only upset her more. I knew though, my next words where going to upset her even more, but they had to be said.

"Well, if he's does that then he wasn't worth it." I stated.

She pulled her head off of my shoulders and stared directly into my eyes. I could see anger and hate mixed with the sadness and exhaustion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned and I could hear the coldness in her voice.

"Just that maybe hte situation isn't worth all of the stress that you're dealing with." I responded. "If he can't understand how you feel about sex, then maybe you should just find someone who can."

I knew the minute the words came out of my mouth that they had come out wrong. I didn't mean it to sound like I was condemning the relationship or judging either of them. However, that's exactly what my lips did. She stood up and started walking away.

"You sound like Alice now. THe next thing I know, you'll be telling me that he's trying to pressure me into doing it!" she yelled.

"Well..." I said implying that that was exactly how I felt.

"OH MY GOD!" She yelled pulling at her hair. "He doesn't pressure me. He stops when I ask him too and doesn't try to talk me into after I have said no! It's not his fault he has needs that I'm not ready to provide him yet! Which makes it even worse because he is one of the greates boyfriends that I've ever had. He does everything that I ask of him and then some. And I can't even bring myself to give anything back to him. If one of us should break up with the other, it should be him with me!"

Tear were know cascading down her face as she was sobbing. She would've collapsed to her knees if I hadn't stood up to catch her. She was more upset about this than I thought. Once again, I knew my next words would upset her more, however, they had to be sad.

"And that, babe, is called pressure." I whispered.

"But I love him." she cried. "And he loves me. I can't be without him."

"I know." I whispered and pulled her close to me.

I let her cry into my chest while I stroked her long beautiful hair. I told her that "everything was going to be alright" and "they'd work it out in the end." I knew the words all lies and would probably hurt her mentally later.

I wanted more than anything to tell her that she deserved so much better than him. She deserved someone who would understand what she had been trhough and not push something that she was uncomfortable with. Someone like me. However, I knew now was not the time for those words.

She didn't need to someone to tell her that her relationship was doomed. She needed someone to tell her that it was going to be alright. Someone to comfort her and make her feel better. Someone like a best friend. Not a best friend who was trying to convince her to leave the man she loved.

I wasn't sure how long she cried before she pulled away from me. I could still see the pain and sadness in her eyes then but the hate and anger had gone away. I was glad for that because I hated it when she was mad at me.

"Thank you Jacob." She croaked. "You are an amazing friend. I don't know what I'd without you. I love you so much."

"I love you too." I said and pulled her back to me adding a mental, _"More than you know." _

**A/N: Well, what do you think? It didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I don't know what it was but I couldn't remember the original version of the chapter, no matter how hard I tried. I hope you like it anyway. Also, this was supposed to be a sort of wake up call for Bella. She's going to start realizing that Edward's not as wonderful as she thinks. **


	7. When the Cat's Away the Mouse Will Play

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had a rough day at work and didn't feel like writing last night. I watched twilight and went to bed early. Anyway, here we go. **

**BELLA**

Once I calmed down from my awkward and rather embarrassing break down in front of Jake, he promised me that he wouldn't tell Seth and Leah what we talked about. I really appreciated that. I didn't want them to know how upset Edward was making me.

In return, I promised Jacob that I wouldn't even think about Edward for the rest of the day. I pushed the sex issue and the realization that he was actually pressuring me to the back of my mind. It was someithing that I needed to talk to Edward about and since he wasn't there, there was no point in stressing about it. I decided that I was just going to spend the rest of the day having fun with my friends.

Which is exactly what we did. We spent some time in the garage just talking and laughing. We went for a walk be the beach around noon where we run into Leash's boyfriend, Sam, and Jacob's other two best friends, Quil and Embry. The three had plans to go cliff diving that day and spent an hour trying to convince us to come with them.

Thankfully, Jacob knew that I was accident prone and turned them down. He stuck with the decision knowing that no matter how safe Sam said it was, I would find some way to get hurt. We did go for a swim after the left though.

Everything was fine until around nine o'clock that night. I started feeling really aching all over and the muscles in my stomach had clenched just slightly. And I was could tell I was a little warmer than normal. I blamed it on the stress of my relationship with Edward and ignored it.

"Bells, are you alright?" Seth asked a half hour later. "You look really pale and sweaty?"

"I'm fine." I replied. "It's just lack my lack of sleep."

Even as I said it, my stomach muscles clenched even more and I started throwing up on the garage floor. Jacob, even the gentleman, raced over to my chair and held my hair back. Leah, who had a very weak stomach, dashed from the garage.

Leah came back with a towel and glass of water once I was finished. Seth, who had the strongest stomach of any man I knew, began to clean up the pile of vomit. I wiped my mouth then drank the water.

I felt Jacob's cool hand touch my forehead as I tried to get my breathing back under control. I didn't noticed how warm I was until then. His hand felt so soothing that I was sad when he took it away.

"You have a bit of a fever. Leah, can you call Charlie and tell him that Bella got sick so I took her home. Tell him that I'll stay with her until he gets home." Jacob told Leah who nodded and headed out of the garage. "Can you walk?" he asked me. I nodded slowly and regretted it because my head throbbed.

He helped me stand up but my knees gave under my weight. Was I really that sick? Jake chuckled slightly, slid his arms around me and picked me up bridal style. He carried me to his rabbit and sat me gently in the passenger seat.

When we got to my house, he helped me change into sweats (He's been my best friend since before we could even hold our heads up, I didn't mind him seeing me naked) and climb into bed. Then, to my surprise, he called in next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

He was there to hold my hair the next two times I threw up. He even had a glass of water, a towel, and some tylonel ready when I was finished. I fell asleep in his arms around 11:00.

Sadly, he was gone when I had another bout of throwing up at three thirty. My day was there to hold my hair and get me what I needed though. I was glad for that. I knew hgow awkward this kind of thing was for him. He was still sitting in my rocking chair when I fell back to sleep around five.

When I woke up again at seven, I felt a little better. My head was still throbbing and my body ached but I didn't feel like I had a fever anymore. I no longer felt nauseated but my stomach muscles were very sore from all of the throwing up. Charlie was no where to be found but there was note from him on my pillow.

_Bells,_

_I called the school and told them that you weren't going to be in today. I wanted to take the day off to keep an eye on you but I knew that you would probably yell at me. There is some ginger ale in the fridge and Saltines on the table if you feel like eating. Get some rest. _

_Love, _

_Dad_

I laughed as I read the note. My dad knew me too well. I hated it when people had to change their schedules and what not for me. I mean, there was no reason, in this particuliar case, for him to take the day off work. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself today. Even if I was sick.

I supposed I should call Alice. She tended to worry abotu me, especially if I missed school. She was so bad that I somnetimes felt she was channeling my mom.

I picked up and flipped my phone open to find that I had a text from Jake. I smiled. Of course, he would be doing a follow up on how I was feeling. I opened the text and sure enough,

_Hey sweetie how ru feeling?_

I smiled and typed my reply.

_Better but still crappy. I think I'm done throwing up. _

I only had to wait a minute before I got a reply.

_Good. I mean that ur feeling even a little better. I'm going 2 visit u l8er. Just 2 b sure. _

I smiled again. Jacob was such a wonderful friend. I really didn't know what I'd do with him.

_Look forward 2 it. I g2g. Need 2 call Al and tell her I won't b in school 2day. Then more rest. ttyl. _

_K. Feel better soon. _

Was his reply. I flipped from my messages to my contacts, found Alice, and hit send.

**ALICE**

I stood in front of my mirror admiring the outfit I had just bought on Saturday. It was a lonsleeved baby blue shirt with a square neck that revealed a little less than an inch of cleavage (Which was an inch higher than the dress code called for) with a black skirt that came down to about mid thigh. It was a little cold so I added a pair of black leggings. The oufit would've looked best with my black Jimmy Choo's but I didn't feel like walking around in heels all day. I settled for a pair of black ballet flats.

I was just clipping my locket around my neck when my phone started blaring Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl. I wondered why Bella was calling me at seven fifteen when we were going to see each other in forty five minutes anyway. I grabbed the phone off of my dresser and flipped it open.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" I answered.

"Hey Al." Bella replied. She sounded a little weak and hoarse. "I just wanted to tell you that I wouldn't be in school today."

"Why not?" I asked. Okay, I wasn't a omplete idiot. I knew she was sick but it seemed the most natural way to continue the conversation. (A/N: Don't ask.)

"I got sick at Jake's last night." she replied. "I think I have a touch of the flu. I feel a lot better today but I don't think I could make it at school. Could you get my homework for me?"

"Of course." I replied. "Hey, do you want me to come over after school? I can make you my famous chicken noodle soup in a can."

She laughed along with me. It was common knowledge that I couldn't cook to save my life. Hell, I could barely boil water. However, cans and mocrowaves were very safe for me. I used them whenever possible

"That would be nice." she replied through her laughter.

"Okay, I'll be there right after school."

"Great and can you do one more thing for me?"

"Sure."

"Would you tell Edward that I'm not going to be in school?"

'No problem." I replied rolling my eyes.

"I'll let you finish getting ready for school now."

"Okay, try to get some rest."

"I will. I see you later."

"Bye." I replied and flipped the phone shut.

I sighed. Great, it was another boring day at school and Bella wouldn't even be there to try to make it better. I guess, I'd just have to deal. I grabbed my bookbag and headed downstairs for a quick bowl of Count Chocula (A/N: Points for anyone who can think of another of our favorite characters who enjoys Count Chocual cereal.).

Edward was already eating a bowl of fruit loops when I made it to the dining room.

"Good morning." he said apathetically.

"Morning." I answered in the same tone then headed to the kitchen. "I just talked to Bella." I yelled to him as I fixed myself a bowl cereal. "She has the flu and won't be at school today."

"Oh." he replied in a semi concerned tone. "Is she doing alright?"

"She says she's better than last night." I told him.

"I guess I'll have to go visit her later."

There was something about his tone that was off. It was like he was concerned for her health but happy that she wasn't going to be at school. I shrugged it off as my paranoia about him hurting her and ate my cereal.

It was a fifteen minute drive from our house to the school. Or at least that's who long it took me in my porsche. It should've taken at last thirty but me and driving slow, especially in the porsche, just don't mix.

My first class of the day went by in a boring lull. It was literature. I swear, the only thing worse than reading thoise stupid books was listening to my teacher talking about those stupid books. It would've been so much more fun if we could read books like the Harry Potter and House of Night series (A/N:Both majorly awesome series). But no, we had to read things like _The Scarlet Letter _and _A Farewell to Arms._

Needless to say, I spent most of the period writing a note to Jasper and reading a fashion magazine under my desk. I knew Bella would help me study for the test later. The bell finally rang and not a moment to soon.

I normally had a study hall for second hour but I had gotten permission to make up an Algebra test today. So, I headed upstairs instead of down.

Mr. Anderson, the algebra teacher, was writing some problems for his next class on the board and didn't notice my arrival. I cleared my throat to make him aware of my presence. He jumped slightly when he turned around.

"Miss Brandon, what can I do for you?" he asked when he recovered.

"We arranged for me to retake the test I missed last Wednesday." I reminded him.

"Right." he replied.

He rummaged over his desk that was covered in papers. I knew it would take him awhile, it always did. Curious at who was in this class, I turned to watch the kids come in. I got an interesting shock.

Edward's best friend, James was walking in with his girlfriend, Victoria draped all ove him. Behind him was Edward and Jessica "the whore" Stanley. And she was dressed for her title too.

She was wearing a longsleeved black v-neck shirt. It should so much cleavage that it definitely made teachers wonder if it was legal. She had on a short black skirt (Once again, pushing the dress code to the limit) with a pair of black high heeled knee high leather boots that zipped up the side. I found myself thinking how Bella, Rose, and I could've ever been friends with her.

It wasn't her appearance with Edward that shocked me. It was common knowledge that Jessica was best friends with Victoria which meant she hung out with James and Victoria often. That also meant that Edward spent a good deal of time with her. So it wasn't shocking that the walked in together. It was the fact that her arm was linked through his and he was carrying her books.

The minute Edward saw me, he pulled his arm away from her and handed her back her books. She pouted for a minute then her eyes fell on me and she quickly walked to her desk.

"Here you are Miss Brandon." Mr. Anderson said and I jumped slightly before I turned around.

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson." I replied taking the test.

"You can have a seat in the back of the room."

I nodded and headed for a desk in the corner of the back row while Mr. Anderson began teaching his class.

"As you all know we have a big test at the end of the week. And I want to make sure that all of you pass so we are going to spend the rest of the week reviewing. Today, I simply want you to split into groups of two and do all of the problems from page 474-477. Then tomorrow, will go over them and find out who needs to improve on what. You can choose your own partners." he explained and went back to his desk.

I watched as Edward and Jessica chose each other. I wondered what in the hell that was about. Yes, they were on friendly terms with each other but I didn't think it extended to touching and flirting. And they were definitely flirting the whole time. I tried to concentrate on my test but Jessica laughter kept cathing my attention. Edward, who was usually revolted by her skanky attempts to get him, looked like he was actually enjoying himself.

Halfway through the period, she leaned over and whispered something in his ear. He nodded in return and they went bad to work. They spent the rest of the period working/flirting. I watched them the best I could while I filled in the answers on the test.

I tried to figure out what the hell was going on. There was only one thought that came to mind. I hoped I was wrong because if he was chesting on Bella, I was going to hvae to kill him. I wasn't completely sure which action Bella would be most upset about.

The bell scared the hell out of me when it rang. I quickly marked anything for the last few questions and handed the test into Mr. Anderson. Edward was still in the hall with Jessica when I walked out. Thankfully, my locker was right across the hall so I cold easily eavesdrop.

Their goodbye wasn't out of the ordinary. They finished their conversation (flirting) and hugged (a little awkward but everyobody did it) then went their seperate ways. I would've just let it go had it noit been for the fact that Edward had lunch this period but he was headed in the opposite direction.

I, of course, followed him. I needed to find out what he was up to. For Bella's sake. Thankfully, there was enough people in the hall to keep him from seeing or hearing me as we walked.

Edward came to a stop outside the library and quickly hid around the corner. He looked around to make sure that no one had followed him before going inside. I waited a couple minutes before I went in. I didn't want to get caught because I knew he would be furious. I was most definitely butting into his life. Then again, he still owed me for Bella.

I walked in and looked around. The big room was unusually empty for this time of day but I couldn't see Edward anywhere. I began walking up and down the rows of books in search of him. I had only been looking for about five minutes when I heard a soft moan from the other side of a book case. As stepped around it, into the darkest part of the library, I was met with a disgusting sight.

Edward, with his back to me, had Jessica pinned to a book shelf with his body. Jessica had her legs wrapped around Edward's waist. He had her hands pinned above his head. Jessica was facing me but her eyes were closed and her mouth open in pleasure while Edward did god only knew what disgusting things to her neck and breasts.

I couldn't believe what I was seeign. Edward really was cheating on Bella. And to make matters worse, it's with Bella's worst enemy. I was so shocked and angry I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and pretend like I hadn't seen anything. However, the loyal part of me forced me to stay. I couldn't just let him get away with doing this to my best friend. I knew, however, that if I spoke, it wasn't going to end well. I simply cleared my throat.

Jessica's eyes snapped open. When she realized who it was they widened in fear and shock. She quickly pulled her feet off of Edward. Edward spun around before she had a chance to get her balance and he fell on her arse. Had the situation not been so serious, I probably would've laughed at the pouty expression on her face.

When Edward got all the way around and his eyes met mine, the widen with the same emotions as Jessica's had. He raised his arms in surrender and said,

"Alice, this isn't what it looks like."

**A/N: What do you think? I hope it didn't go too quickly. I promise there's going to be more to the plot than just this. And, no, Edward is not stupid. He just didn't expect Alice to be in his class or to be looking that closely. Anyway, I hope you liked and please review. **


	8. Truth and Consequences

**A/N: I put a new poll on my website. I need to know if you guys would like to see Jessica pregnant with Edward's baby. It would definitely add more to the plot but I don't know how you guys would feel about it. So vote and let me know what you think. Also, I'm sorry for the delay in my updates on this one. I was working hard on finishing the last part of my Without You series. It is now finished and this is going to be sole focus now. It's been kind of hard for me to get into but I'm getting there. I'm just not used to writing Edward being like this and it's kind of hard to imagine but I like the concept so I'm going to push ahead. Okay, let's get this started. **

**EDWARD**

"Alice, it's isn't what it looks like." I said as I met her eyes. I knew the words sounded so stupid even as they left my mouth. How could it not be what it looked like? Alice had caught us redhanded and there wasn't any way out. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. I just didn't think that it would be like this.

I stared calmly at Alice as her expression went from shock to anger. Jessica slowly stood and came to stand beside me. She placed her hand in mine as if to give me some support. The look in Alice's eyes, however, made us both drop them quickly.

"Good." She said after a minute. "Because it looked like you were cheting on my best friend when she was at home sick. Would you kindly tell me what it was so that I don't have to kill you?"

Her voice shook with anger and sadness as she stood there glaring at Jessica and I. I didn't think that someone so small could ever look so scary. To be completely honest, though, looking at her just then, I almost pissed my pants. Jessica, who was scared as well, slid a little behind me.

I racked me brain for some kind of explaination but I got nothing good. Every thing I could think of seemed more stupid and idiotic than the last. All I could do was stand in front of Alice and stare at the floor as guilt washed through me.

"That's what I thought." Alice continued furiously. "How could you do that to her? After everything that she's gone through for this relationship." Jessica shifted nervously behind me and Alice must have caught sight of her. "And you! I know that you hate Bella but did you really have to hurt her like this? You were her friend when her mom died and you know how bad she suffered. Did you really have to make it worse by taking the love of her life away from her?!"

Jessica said nothing and looked completely apathetic. I knew her well enough, though, to know that she was feeling at least a little guilt. Alice, however, didn't seem to care what either of us were feeling.

"Why?" she asked shaking her head. "Why did you have to do this to her Edward? Do you have any idea how much she loves you?"

I looked back to the floor. I knew exactly how much she loved me. She did everything that I wanted her to. And I knew she felt terrible about the whole sex refusal thing. I also knew that it wasn't her fault but I had my needs to. I couldn't help that.

"She wouldn't give me what I needed so I had to get it from somewhere." I said with a halfhearted shrug.

"Oh my God!" Alice gasped putting her hand over her mouth. "You're sleeping together?!"

I looked to the floor waves of guilt building in my gut. Jessica made a small noise of confirmation. Alice's face contorted in further rage.

"Damn." she said. "And here she was crying and worrying that you were going to break up with her because she wouldn't sleep with you! But this is so much worse! Do you know how much this is going to kill her?"

I kept my eyes on the floor. I knew exactly how much this was going to hurt her. I knew she would eventually find out but I hoped it would've been when she got over what happened to her mother and Jess and I were over. Not now when she was still vulnerable.

I felt Jess slide her hands around my waist and place her head on between my shoulder baldes. I knew it was supposed to be a comforting gesture as well as an apology. I also knew, judging from Alice's expression, that I should've just pushed Jess off of me. However, I couldn't do that. This was going to hurt her as much as Bella and it wouldn't be right to leave her in the cold. I placed my hands on top of her trying to comfort her as well.

Alice made a noise in the back of her throat and I looked back at her. She had tears of fury and sadness in her eyes. I could feel ones of guilt and sadness prickling my eyes.

"You two disgust me." she said shaking her head. She then turned and marched out of the library.

I knew what she was going to do and I couldn't let her do it. This would destroy Bella and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened. I had to do something to stop Alice from seeing Bella. Bella would, of course, find oput sooner or later but not like this. It shouldn't be like this.

I quickly pulled myself from Jess's embrace. She let her arms fall to her side as if in defeat. I couldn't take the look of utter rejection on her face. I grabbed her face between my hands.

"I have to talk to Alice about this. Okay, I have to keep her from telling Bella right now. You and I will talk later okay. I promise." I told her trying to get her to understand that I wasn't walking away.

She nodded and I kissed her forehead. Then I headed out of the library. I looked up and down the hall but Alice was nowhere to be seen. I knew she was way too angry to go back to class so I raced out to the parking lot. Sure enough, her yellow prosche was no where to be found. I took out my cell and dialed her number.

I was surprised when she answered after the second ring.

"What?" she asked in an aggravated tone.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Where do you think I'm going?" she retorted.

"You can't tell her." I begged.

"And why not?"

"Because you don't understand."

"What's there to understand?! You cheated on her. End of story."

"Please, just go back to the house and wait for me before you go to Bella. I really need you to hear me out. I'm begging you."

"Fine!" she yelled. "I'll listen to what you have to say but that doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind about telling her."

"Fine." I replied. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Fine." she said then hung up.

I flipped my phone shut and got into my volvo. I spent the entire drive to the house thinking of way to make Alice hear me.

**ALICE **

I was about ten minutes away from the house when Edward called. I didn't know why I had agreed to listen to what he had to say. I should've just went straight to Bella and told her what I saw. However, as his sister, step or otherwise, I thought I should as least give him a chance to explain. Plus, I wanted to prolong the moment when I had to break my best friend's heart.

I waited on the proch when I got home. I didn't want to go inside, just in case things got violent. There was less outside that we could break. I was only waiting for about five minutes before I saw his volvo pull in the driveway. He got out of the car and came over to sit next to me.

"You wanted be to listen, so talk." I said trying to keep my calm.

'You can't tell Bella." he said and I could see the pleading in his eyes. "It's going to destroy her. I don't want to see her like that."

I couldn't believe he was asking me this. He wanted me to keep letting him hurt my best friend and not do anything about it. No, that wasn't going to happen.

"So you want me to keep this a secret from her while you continue to run around with your little slut?" I questioned angrily.

"Don't call her a slut!" he replied.

"Wow, most guys would be defending the girlfriend not their sex toy." I stated

"So she doesn't deserve to be talked about like that! She is one of the smartest and sweetest people I know. Yes, she can be a bitch if she doesn't like you but she's really nice if you don't have issues." he yelled.

"Well, all that aside, I still consider anyone who sleeps with someone else's boyfriend a slut."

"Jessica isn't even the issue here. It's Bella."

"Well, considering you're sleeping with her instead of Bella, I'd say she's a big part of it."

"Well, it wouldn't even be an issue if Bella would just get over what happened to her mother and give me what I need!"

"Oh my God! Don't even bring that up! You only know half of what happened! It's not her fault!"

"Okay, then, what's the other half?"

"None of your business."

"Bella's my girlfriend, everything about her is my business."

"Not until she makes it your business!" I fought.

"Okay, fighting isn't getting us anywhere. So just tell me, are you going to tell her or not?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be a good best friend if I kept it from her." I answered.

"Well, what about being a good sister and keeping your promise?" he questioned.

I could not believe that he had gone there. Did he really think our deal applied here? Not when it involved him and my almost sister. She was more important to me than anyone except my mother of course. I would die for that girl. There was no way anything he said was going to stop me from telling her.

"Don't you dare throw that in my face!" I yelled. "You were the one who broke the deal and stepped into my life when you wanted to date my best friend. I let you because I knew it was would make Bella happy. Now, I catch you cheating on her and you want me to stay out of your life and let you keep hurting. I don't think so. Besides, she's more my family than you'll ever be. I'd do or give anything for her and you'll be lucky to even get a kidney from me!"

"Okay, I deserved that." he said. "I deserve a lot worse actually but Bella doesn't deserve to be hurt like this. I never intended for her to find out like this. You have no idea what this is going to do to her. Please, don't tell her!" he begged.

"I have a better idea than you do about what this going to do do her but I have to tell her. She has the right to know exactly what you are and what you've done." I replied standing up. "And stop sitting here pretending like you care about how she's going to react because if you really did, you wouldn't be sleeping with Jessica Stanley."

I then marched to my car and a drove away. I cried at the thought of having to break my best friend's heart. She didn't deserve this. I just prayed she'd believe me.

**A/N: What do you think? I hope it turned out okay. The planning process gave me a hard time. Please review and tell me what you think. **


	9. I Don't Know What to Do

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I had major writer's block yesterday and couldn't come up with anything. Today, though, I came up with this chapter. I hope you enjoy. **

**ALICE**

I drove toward Bella's house trying top come up with the best way to tell Bella about what Edward was doing. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that Edward was right.

Whether or not he actually cared, the fact was, Bella was going to be devasted when she found out about this. She loved Edward with every fiber of her being. There was no way I was going to be able to sit there and tell her that he's been sleeping with her ex bestfriend. I wouldn't be able to handle her reaction. I didn't even want to imgine it.

I guess I could take comfort in the fact that there was always a chance that she wouldn't believe. No, that would be way worse. If she thought that I was lying then she'd probably kick me out and not want anything to do with me anymore. I didn't want that to happen.

I knew that I was her best friend and she should trust me enough to believe me. However, with the way I've been acting about her and Edward, I wouldn't expect anything less than outright hostility. I've never been very supportive of the idea of the two of them together and tended to make my opinion known. I had a nasty habit of making every little flaw out to be a bigger deal than it was. Just so she would break up with him.

What if she thought I was doing the same thing when I told her about this? What if she thought that I had taken it too far this time? What if she said that she never wanted to see me again? What if I didn't tell her?

There were too many questions without answers. There was no way I could tell her. At least, not right now. Not until I've talked to Jasper. Maybe he could help me find away around hurting my best friend. Because I would hurt her whether or not she believed me.

I pulled into the nearest parking lot and took out my cell phone. I dialed Jasper's cell number as I pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards his house in the opposite direction of Bella's. The call rang phone time before it went to voicemail. I hadn't expected him to answer because he would still be in school.

"Hey Jazz, it's Al. I know you're still in school and that's were I should be too. I ditched the second half of the day. I'll explain why later. Listen, could you go straight to your apartment when you get out of school. I really need to talk to you about something. It's important. Don't worry. I'm fine and we're fine. I just need a second opinion on something. I love you. Bye."

I flipped the phone shut a drove twenty over the speed limit towards his apartment complex.

Jasper had gotten himself emancipated when he was fifteen. His father was an abusive asshole while his mother was an alcoholic who could've cared less about him. When he turned fifteen, he inherited a substantial amount of money after his favorite Uncle past away. He used that for the first couple months rent on an apartment, did the paperwork, and moved to Forks from Seattle. He hasn't heard from or seen his parents since. He and I have been dating since two months after his first day at Forks High School. He gave me the key to his apartment for our one year anniversary.

When I got to his apartment, I went right inside and straight to his bed. I curled up under his blankets and found myself crying. I wasn't sure why I cried. There was just so much that had happened today, it was too much for just one person. I mean, first I caught my stepbrother cheating on my best friend. Then there was the whole do I tell my best friend or not? Would she believe me if I did?

It was strange. Edward had finally screwed up so bad there was no hope of Bella forgiving. That was something that I had wanted for over a year. Yet, now that it finally happened, things were too complicated for me to be happy about it.

I don't remember falling asleep. One minute I was laying in Jasper's bed crying, the next, I felt someone stroking my hair and opened my eyes to see Jasper sitting next to me. I wondered briefly how long I'd been there.

"Hi." I said after stretching and yawning.

"Hey." he said. I could see worry etched in his feature. He didn't what long to express that worry. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

I had told him not to worry when I left the message. Naturally, he worried. I laughed slightly as I stared into his beautiful green eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine. No, nobody hurt me." I replied. "I told you not to worry in the message."

"Then why, pray tell, were you here sleeping in my bed, with tears stains on you face, when you should've been in school?" he questioned skeptically.

"It's a long story." I said feeling a little stupid aboput dragging him into this.

"It's my night off." he replied with a smile. "You have me as long as you need me."

I smiled. That was my Jasper. Always there for me, no matter what. I loved him more than he would ever know. I pushed myself into a sitting position leaning against the wall and took a deep breath.

I told him everything that happened that day. Everything about Bella being sick and me having to make up an algebra test during Edward's algebra period. I told him about Jessica's and Edward's odd behavior throughout the period and how I followed Edward to the library. I describe the way I found the to of them in the corner as well as how they both admitted to sleeping together. I told him how I got pissed and left and how Edward tried to talk me out of telling Bella the truth. It took awhile because I had to keep stopping to convince Jasper that he shouldn't kill Edward. He was halfway out the door at least three times before I could calm him down.

"And now I don't know what to do?" I cried once I finished. "I know that she has every right to know the truth. I also know that it is my job as her best friend to tell her everything but it's like Edward said, this is going to destroy her. She's already been through so much over the last seven years. I don't think I could add this to her list of terrible things. I couldn't sit there and watch the pain fill her eyes. I can't bring myself to hurt her like that. Of course, that's all hypotheticall because I'm not even sure she's going to believe me. And if she doesn't that's just going to make things ten times worse. It could mean the end of our friendship."

"Al, stop and breathe." Jasper said wiping the tears from my eyes. "Now, you're Bella's best friend, why wouldn't she believe you?"

"Because you know how I've felt about there relationship." I stated. "I have been trying to find a reasobn for Bella to break up with him since the beginning. I knew from then that Bella deserved so much better. And this just proves it. But Bella might think that this is another one of my attempts to break them up. What if she thinks that and feels I've gone too far? What if she tells me she nevber wants to see me again? I don't think I could live with myself if that happened. She's more like a sister to me than Edward is a brother. I couldn't get through life without her."

Jasper sighed and pulled me into a hug. I let my tears fall onto his shirt.

"Listen to me, Al." he whispered. "It's like you said, Bella has a right to know what Edward's doing and it is your job as her best friend to tell her. I know that it's going to hurt her terribly but she'll appreciate it more in the long run if you tell her. Yes, she may be made at you for awhile and think that you're lying, but she will eventually find out what that assholes been doing. When that happens, I'm sure the two of you will be able to work it out. But if you don't tell her what you know now and she finds out later, she may never speak to you again. I know the latter isn't something that you would want. Which is why you need to tell her what you know now. Whether or not she believes you, the truth will come out sooner or later."

I thought about his words. They weren't really much of a comfort but he was right. I had to be the best friend that I was and tell her. It would hurt her whether or not she believed me. And she'd eventually find out the truth. Better it happen in a way where she knew that I was being honest with her. That way would only go a few weeks to a few months without talking. Whereas, if I kept my mouth shut and she found out, I could lose her friendship forever. I sighed knowing and hating what I had to do.

"Thanks for listening, Jazz." I whispered into his just. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't thank me." He replied pulling me away from his chest. "You are my life and I would do anything for you. Anything you want or need, all you have to do is ask. Even if it's just getting advice or ranting, I'm here when you need me to be."

He brought his lips crashing down on mine and kissed me with all the passion he could muster. I kissed him back with just as much passion, willing him to feel how strongly I felt about him. We pulled apart when the need for air got too much.

"I love you." I said breathless and snuggled back into his chest.

"I love you too." he replied wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head.

We stayed like that for awhile both lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking about how I was going to have to hurt Bella. There was just now way around that. I wished there was but there wasn't. I just had to figure out the best way to lead her into. Which was something I had never been good at it.

I could tell by Jasper's labored breathing that he was doing everything he could not to go to my house and kill Edward. I was grateful to him for that. There would be way too much incrimnating evidence if Edward's body was found. I didn't want Jasper to go to jail for Edward. It wasn't worth it.

_"I kissed a girl and I liked it._

_The taste of her cherry chapstick. _

_I kissed a girl just to try it._

_I hope my boyfriend don't mind it." _

The ringing of my phone cut through the silence causing me to jump a mile. Jasper chuckled as I tried to fish it out of my purse, which was on his dresser.

"Hello, Bella." I said once I finally grabbed it and flipped it open. "How are you feeling?" I was trying very hard to sound casual but I didn't think it was working.

"Better." she replied and she did sound much better. "I thought you were going to come over?"

"I am." I said and glanced at the clock. It was nearly five. I had no idea that I had been here so long. "I'm sorry. I had to talk to Jazz after school and it took longer than I thought." Bella just laughed. I made a face that she couldn't see. "Anyway, I'll be leaving here in the next ten minutes."

"Okay. You're going to miss Jake, though. He has to be home by five thitry." she answered.

"Oh man, I was hoping he'd be there when I got there."

Which was true. I hoped he was going to stay for awhile so I could put off my news for awhile. I supposed it would've been best to just get it over with.

"Sorry." she replied. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." I answered. "Why?"

"Because, Edward called and asked if I talked to you yet. When I told him no, he said that you were going to tell me something about him. He told me not to believe you. That it was just another of your attempts to break us up. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you when I get there." I replied cursing myself.

Why didn't I think that Edward would've gotten to her first. Now she probably wouldn't believe because her precious Edward said she shouldn't. I knew then that this wasn't going to be a very pleasant meeting.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye hun."

"Bye."

I flipped the phone shut with a sigh. Jasper wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head again. I wished I could've just stayed in his arms the rest of the night. I could've just forgotten about the whole Edward/Bella mess and been happy right in that moment. However, I knew it was more important to take care of my friend at the moment.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Jasper asked after a minute.

I let out another sigh. I would so love that. However, I knew this was something I had to do on my own. Something that was between Edward, Bella, Jessica, and I. Bella wouldn't have appreciated getting inoccent bystanders caught up in the mess.

"No." I replied. "As much as I would like that. This is something that I have to do on my own. Besides, it would be best if the main players handled it on their own."

"Okay, just remember, I'll be home all night. If she takes it badly and you need me, don't hesitate to call or come over. I'll be here." He said pulling away from me.

"I know." I replied. "I love you."

"I love you too." He brought his lips crashing down onto mine again.

I kissed him back just as passionately as before. We said goodbye for a good five minutes before I finally pushed him away and told him I needed to go. We kissed one last time.

I walked out the door, hoping against hope, that everything wasn't about to blow up in my face.

**A/N: Sorry, it's just a filler. I put this scene in for a couple of reasons. First, I didn't want her telling Bella just yet. I'm not sure how I want Bella to react to it. I mean I want their friendship to be strong enough that Bella will believe Alice. However, I want Bella to have to see it to believe it as well. So you see the problem. I'm still trying to work it out. Hopefully, I'll have a something for you tomorrow or Tuesday. The other reason for this chapter is some Jalice fluff. They are my favorite twilight couple and I love them having fluffly stuff. Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Please review and vote on whether or not Jessica is pregnant. So far the no's are winning. **


	10. Friends, Plans, and Confusion

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Yesterday was my mom's birhtday so I was busy the whole day. I'm making a change. Jake is already going to have been to Bella's and left before she calls Alice. It was just easier that way. I hope it didn't confuse anone too much. **

**EDWARD**

I laid on my bed, cursing myself for this whole mess. I can't believe Jess and I got too comfortable just because Bella wasn't there. I should've known to keep a better look out for Alice. She was always trying to find a way to break Bella and I up. Sometimes, I wished I could just get Bella to drop Alice. Our relationship would be so much easier that way. I'd be able to get away with a lot more too.

I could only hope that Bella wouldn't believe Alice. There was a slim chance that Alice had done and said too much to try to break the two of us up. Maybe Bella would think that way and want Alice out of her life. All I could do was hope.

I laid there staring at my phone and waiting for the call that would tell me Alice had told Bella all about Jessica and I. That's when a plan hit me.

I didn't have to sit around and wait to find out my fate. I could take it in my own hands. I could plant the first seed of doubt in Bella's head. It would be easy because Bella believed every word that I had ever said. I picked up my phone and dialed my number three speed dial.

"Hello?" Bella's voice came over after the first. Crap, I wasn't expecting her to answer.

"Hi, Bella." I said putting on my best mock sad voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." she answered. "I just needed a little rest."

"That's great. I can't wait to see you tomorrow." I stated. "I would come over today but I have a huge report due tomorrow."

That was a lie but I needed time to discuss somethings with Jessica. We needed to talk about being more careful and what not. That's something that couldn't wait. Not even for Bella.

"That's okay." she replied cheerfully. "Are you okay, though? You sound like there's something bothering you."

"Well, I was calling to see if you talked to Alice yet? We had a fight and she isn't very happy with me." Another lie but I had to get us through this.

"Oh." She said. "Well, no. I haven't talked to Alice yet. She hasn't come by. What do you fight about?"

"Oh nothing important. She's just mad because I was right but I'm afraid I may have pushed things too far this time. I think she might be looking for revenge."

"I doubt that." she replied.

"Well, just do me a favor please, don't believe anything she tells you abut me. Please?" I begged forcing myself to sound on the verge of tears.

"Okay." she answered and I could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

"Thank you. I have to go now."

"Okay, I love you."

"Ditto."

I flipped the phone shut and sighed. I hoped that would work. I wasn't ready to give up either of my girls yet and if Alice told Bella, I would definitely lose her. That was something that I did not want. I just hoped that was a good enough performance to get Bella to not believe Alice. If it wasn't, then I was screwed.

I flipped my phone back opened and dialed my number two speed dial. I needed to talk to Jess. We had to discuss everything that had happened as well as ways we could be more careful.

"Hey Edward." she answered on the second ring.

"Hey." I replied.

"How did it go with Alice?" she asked.

"Not good. She's going to tell Bella."

"Oh."

"But don't worry. I took care of it." Or at least I hoped I had. "I'm not ready to lose either of you yet. However, you and I do need to talk. Can you meet me at the apartment in half an hour?"

"Yeah. That's not a problem."

"I'll see you there."

"Yup."

I flipped the phone shut and hopped in my volvo. I prayed all the way to the apartment complex that everything would go according to my plan.

**BELLA**

I slept for most of the day, waking up at three o'clock when my phone went off. It was Edward. I found they fact that he was calling rather odd. Normally, he would just come and see me. However, I found the topic of our conversation even more odd. He had said that he and Alice fought and he thought she was planning revenge.

Alice would never stoop that low. She knew how badly hearing that Edward was anything less than a perfect boyfriend would hurt me. Sure, she had a habit of trying to make me see the flaws in Edward. But that was natural for all friends to want each other to know the whole story about a man.

She would never make up a lie about Edward. I mean, maybe in front of their parents but she'd never try to use me to hurt him. She knew how much I loved him and how much it would hurt to lose him. She would never make something up.

Edward would never lie either though. He wouldn't tell me anything unless he thought it was the absolute truth.

I didn't have too much time to ponder things because I knew Jacob and Alice would probably be over any minute. I'd just talk to her when she got here.

I got out of bed and put on a cami and a pair of comfy jeans. I was feeling much better and wanted to show my friends that they didn't have to worry about me. Which is probably something they had been doing all day.

My stomach muscles still ached a little but other than that I felt fine. I hadn't thrown up it about four or five hours and no longer felt nauseated. I still had a bit of a headache but my fever was down. All in all, I was feeling pretty good. I even managed to walk downstairs and do some cleaning.

I was in the middle of doing dishes at about three forty five when I heard someone come in the door. I wasn't too worried about who it was. Only Alice and Jacob knew where the hide-a-key was. Charlie and I had decided a long time ago that they were both here enough to consider this their second home.

"Should you really be doing that?" Jacob asked from the kitchen doorway less than a minute later.

"Jake!" I exclaimed hastening to dry my hands. I noticed, as I threw my arms around him, that he had a bonquet of daisies (my favorites) in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. "You didn't have to get me anything." I said into his shoulder.

"I know but it is customary to get the sickie special gifts in hopes that she'll get better." he replied releasing me.

He then headed to the cabinet underneath the sink to pull out a vase.

"As you can see, you're a little late." I replied with a smirk. "I'm already better."

"Well, you certainly look ten times better but I still don't like your color." he replied with a smile.

"Haha!" I replied sarcastically. I hated when he made fun of my natural paleness.

He chuckled as he set the vase of flowers on the table. My stomach let out a long growl.

"It sounds like someone's hungry." Jake laughed. "All make you some toast. We don't want to overdo it right now."

"Jake, you don't have to." I protested.

"I know but I want to."

I watched as he pulled the toaster out from it's corner on the counter. For some reason, I suddenly got the feeling that Jake's feelings for me extended to more than friendship. It was like there was some unspoken sentiment behind the things he did for me. He took care of me, even if I didn't want him too, much like Edward did. The only difference was that I could tell that Jake wanted to do those things but it seemed like Edward only did them because he felt he had to.

It was a surprise when I started to realize that, if it wasn't for Edward, my feelings for Jake could possibly be deeper than friendship too. I shrugged it off as nothing as Jake placed the toast in front of me.

"Just the way you like it." he said. "Lightly toaster with very little butter."

"Thanks."

We talked as I ate. He told me everything that had gone on at his school that day. He also mentioned that Leah and Seth hoped I was getting better. He made me laugh and brought me tylenol when my headache got unbearable. I was glad he came over because it made getting over being sick ten times easier.

Unfortunately, he was only able to stay for forty five minutes. He had to get back to La Push and get his homework done. I couldn't complain. Academics were way more important than I was.

Before he left, he kissed me on the forehead and told me to call if I needed anything. I thank him and he left. It wasn't until I watched his rabbit pull out of the driveway and I realized that it was four thirty and Alice hadn't been there yet.

That was weird. She said that she would be over right after school and when Alice says she going to do something, she did it. She hadn't even called to tell me that she was going to be late.

I ran upstairs and grabbed my phone off the nightstand. I'd just have to call her and find out where she was. I punched in her number and send. She answered after the second ring.

**(A/N: Insert phone conversation from Ch. 10 here. It's too late for me to copy it. And I need to finish because I have an 8:15 appoinment. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.) **

I sighed as I flipped the phone shut. It was typical that she'd be at Jasper. It wasn't the big a deal to me. Especially, if she needed to talk to him. I knew though, that only fifty percent of the time she spent there was talking. They probably spent the rest kissing or something. Oh well, she was on her way over now.

I waited for her pondering what we happened between her and Edward. I wondered why Edward was so worried about what she was going to tell me. I didn't think that I had too much to worry about from either party. I trusted both of them with my life and neither would intentionally hurt me.

Alice would probably just want to rant about the fight. At which point, I would become the best friend listening to her rant about her stepobrother, not my boyfriend.

It was about twenty minutes before Alice appeared in my room. She looked worse for the wear. Her eyes were a little bloodshot and there were tear tracks running down her face.

"Alice, what's wrong?!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around her.

"Bella, Edward was telling the truth, there _is _something I need to tell you about him." she said pulling me away from her. "And you aren't going to like."

**A/N: What do you think? I hope that ending went okay. I hope you all liked. Let me know what you think. Review please. **


	11. Stupid

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I have two excuses. The first; It's been a very hectic week. I've done everything from working out four days in a row to getting a new tatoo and going to work. Unfortunately, I have had a long enough span of time to sit and write. My other excuse, I'm still trying to decide how I want things to play out in this story. It's a little difficult for me to get things where I want them to be but I'm working very hard on figuring it out. I hope you all understand. Finally, I want to assure you all that this chapter was worth the wait. So now the moment you've all been waiting for......**

**BELLA **

"Alice, what's going on?" I asked.

Her appearance coupled with the seriousness of her tone had me very worried. What could she possibly have to tell me? I mean she always had a reason why I shouldn't still be with Edward. However, none of them ever made her upset enough to look and act like this.

"Are you feeling up for a drive?" she answered my question with a question. "This might be a little easier if we were driving to nowhere twenty miles over the speed limit."

"Okay." I answered still unsure of what was going on. "But you have to stop talking to me in riddles. Just tell me what's going on."

"I will but let's get out of here first." she replied sadly.

"Fine." I replied.

I grabbed my jacket and followed Alice out of the room. When we got into her porsche, she wasted no time in pulling out of the driveway and heading north at sixty miles an hour. Now I knew something was definitely wrong. Yes, Alice always pushed how far she could go without getting a ticket but she only went almost dangerously fast when she was very upset. I was becoming very worried.

"Alice, I'm going to bust!" I said impatiently. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Okay." she said after a minute. "First, I need you to tell me what Edward told you on the phone."

"What's that got to do with anything?" I asked.

"You'll understand in a minute. Just tell me."

"Okay? He said that you two had fought and that he turned out to be right about something. And you got upset and left. He was worried that you were looking for revenge. He said that I shouldn't believe what anything that you said about him because you were only doing it to get back at him." I explained. I was still complete confused about what this had to do with anything.

"Well, he that was half of the truth." Alice said once I finished. "However, he left quite a few holes. Which are going to be difficult for me to fill in. And very hard for you to hear. But I swear on my mother's life that what I'm going to say is the whole truth. You have to believe me."

"Alice, you're my best friend, why wouldn't I believe you?" I questioned amazed at how badly she underestimated our friendship.

"Because, it's about Edward and it's pretty bad." she answered. "And he told you not to believe me so I assume you trust him too."

"Alice, just talk to me." I stated getting frustrated with the way she was acting.

Did she seriously think that I would believe Edward over her? Yes he was my boyfriend but she was like my sister. If I had to choose between saving her or saving Edward, it would be her. Hoes before Bros (A/N: Ten points for anyone who can name the show that's from). That was our pact. It's what we've lived by since Alice's first boyfriend, Mark. That didn't change just because I was in love with Edward.

"Okay, Edward and I did fight but it was I who got the better of him. And I'm about to tell you something he tried to convince me not to but I couldn't just let it go. You mean too much to me for that." she began to explain. "He called you to try and convince you that I was lying. I swear I'm not." I nodded for her to continue. "I had to retake an algebra test during my study hall today and it happened to be during Edward's algebra class. Well, when he came in him with James, Victoria, and Jessica, I noticed that Edward and Jessica were acting a little odd. He was caring her books and had his arm around her or something."

That news didn't strike me as too odd. I knew because of Edward's friendship with James and his girlfriend, he'd be hanging out with Jessica. He had also told me that they were friends and he enjoyed her company. I didn't say anything against the two of them being friends because Edward was his own person and he didn't need someone telling him what to do. Besides, he had always been a gentlemen by carrying a lady's books. The arms around each other could've just been a friendly gesture.

I didn't tell Alice about these doubts. I wanted to let her finish the story before I started poking holes in it. I'm sure, by how upset she was, that there was more to the story.

"The minute he saw me, he let her go and shoved her books back at her." Alice continued. Now, that was odd. "I watched them the rest of the period and they were all flirty and shit the whole time. I got the feeling that there was something going on. He was actually enjoying her attempts at throwing herself at him. Which is why I found it so strange. Anyway, when class was over, he hugged her goodbye."

Once again, I didn't find the hug very odd. Friends, guys and girls, hugged each other all the time. However, the flirting thing struck a chord. I knew they were friends but Edward always assured me that it didn't go much further than that. You don't flirt with your friends, though, unless you are romantically interested in them. That's why I didn't protest as Alice continued.

"He walked away from her but instead of going to the cafeteria, he headed to the library. Since I was already suspicious, I followed him. He disappeared by the time I caught up with him but I searched the library." she stopped and took a deep breath. "When I found him, he was with Jessica. She had herself wrapped around him and he had her pushed against the bookshelf. They were doing some really hardcore making out."

I stared at Alice in shock. I wasn't quite sure what to think about what she had just said. She was indeed my best friend and, as much as she wanted me to break up with Edward, she'd never make up something that would hurt me this much. Usually, she just try to make me see how bad he was for me but she never make up a story like this. Not only would it hurt me too much but it would also destroy my trust iun her. She'd never want to do that.

There was, however, Edward to consider. He loved me and I loved him and there was no way he would actually do something like that to me. He would never want ot hurt me like that. And he most definitely wouldn't do something like that with Jessica Stanley.

Maybe this was just some kind of misunderstanding. He could've been doing anything. Maybe he was helping her with something.

"Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what they were doing?" I questioned. "I mean Jessica does take drama after all. Maybe he was helping her with a scene."

"I wish that was the case." she answered and I could hear the crack in her voice. "However, when I confronted them about it. Edward said he had needs that you weren't providing so he went to someone who would provide them. So I asked him if they were having sex and the looks on their faces confirmed it."

No, I couldn't believe. Edward would never sleep with someone else. He knew how bad that would kill me. He wouldn't want to do that too me. Besides, he's too much of a gentlemen to do it like that. If he wasn't happy with our relationship, he would've just ended. There was no way that he'd sleep around on me. Especially not with Jessica. He knew khow much I hated her and how much it would hurt me to see them together.

Then again, Alice wouldn't lie to me about something this huge. She's the one that always told the truth, no matter how painful it was.

My mind was spinning. I couldn't see either of them ever lying to me about anything. However, I knew one was but I didn't have a clue which one. To buy myself some time I asked,

"What happened after you confronted them?"

"Well, I got so pissed that they were still hanging all over each other, even after I caught them together, that I walked away. Edward called and convinced me to go talk to him. I figured I should give him the benefit of the doubt, you know? Well, he tried to convince me not to tell you by trying to make me feel guilty about how it would make you feel. I told him that you had every right to know and it was my responsibility to tell you." she explained. "I was going to come directly to you but Edward's words got to me as I drove. I knew how much this news would hurt you and I didn't want to be responsible for that. Which is why I went to Jasper's. I needed reassurance that I was doing the right thing. I also needed him to remind me that you were my best friend and you would believe me over Edward. Do you believe me?" Her tone had suddenly become fearful.

"To be completely honest, Alice, I don't know." I replied. "I trust both of you with my life and know neither of you would ever hurt me. I know you would never make something like this up but Edward would never hurt me like this. Hell, it's just so much information that I don't know what to think or feel about it. It hasn't even really sunk ion yet. I just need some time to process before I can figure out who to believe."

The was the honest to God truth. I hope she understood that I wasn't blowing off what she had to say. I really wasn't sure what I needed to believe. I knew what I knew about both people invovled. I just wasn't wasn't ready to deal with it yet.

"I understand completely." she replied. "It is a lot to think about so I'm going to take you somewhere I liked to go when I need some time to think." She made a quick U-turn and headed the other way. "I'll call Charlie and let him know that you felt better and wanted to get out. That way we can stay the night together. We can think about it and talk about it or we could just ignore it for awhile. That's up to you. But I'm here for you."

I nodded as she continued driving at sixty miles an hour. We stayed silent as everything swam around the forefront of my mind. I tried very hard not to think about it. However, it was difficult with just the blank stretch of road to watch.

We finally pulled into a fancy apartment complex. You know, the ones that cost five hundred dollars a month. I shot a confused look at Alice.

"Ed pays rent on one of the apartments. It's mostly for when him and my mom want to messed around but don't want us walking in on them. Ed, however, gave Edward and I a key if we ever need a place to crash or just some alone time. This is we I come when I need to think." she explained.

"But doesn't that defest the whole purpose of not walking in on them?" I questioned.

"No, they use the scrunchy system." Alice answered. "That's how Edward and I know when to stay away. But you don't have to worry, they're both at work."

I nodded and we got out of the car. The apartment was on the second floor and Alice was "allergic" to exercise so we took the elevator. As we walked down the hallway, I found myself looking forward to just watching movies and not thinking about what Alice had just told me. I wish my life was that easy.

When Alice and I stepped into the apartment, I instantly noticed several piles of clothes that went from the living room into the hallway. I didn't register anything other than the possibility that Mr. and Mrs. Masen were here and we were about to walk in on them. I turned to Alice.

"I thought you said you mom and Ed were at work?" I questioned.

"They are." she answered. She sounded as if she was in shock or something.

"Then who's clothes are those?"

"You don't wanna know."

That's when I recognized Edward's favorite black hoodie and the Green Day shirt that I had gotten him for his last birthday was in one of the piles. Another consisted of a pair of jeans, a black skirt, and a small lacy red thong.

The things Alice said in the car were pushing to the front of my mind again. But Edward wouldn't. He loved me too much and I loved him. I heard Alice let out a growl and felt her grab my wrist and yank me toward the last door in the hallway. She yanked it open letting it bang against the wall.

Edward and Jessica were lying in the bed snuggled together, doing God only knew what under the sheets. I suddenly felt nauseated again. They both looked up like deer caught in the headlights when the door hit the wall.

I let out a small chuckle as I looked Edward in the eye.

"Don't bleieve what Alice tells you about. It's just her trying to get back at me." I said in a mocking voice. "You know what's sad, I actually almost believed you."

With that I ran from the room and out of the complex. I made it to the porsche before my knees gave and I sank to the pavement sobbing uncontrollably. How could I have been so stupid?

**A?N: I hope everyone enjoyed that and prayed that it was worth the wait. I didn't do the Edward/Jessica scene because I'm not very good at intimate sex scenes but I'm sure everyone can figure out what happened. They had their talk and then decided to have some fun. Anywho, the Jessica being pregnant poll is at a tie. I think I know what I'm going to do, though. I always wanted to thank my reviewers who inspired this chapter. I pulled from a lot of your ideas and it would be a lot to name all of you individually so thanks to everyone who gave ideas for this chapter. Please review. **


	12. Backfire

**A/N: I'm back and all better. At least for the most part. I still have a few bruises and my neck is still a little sore which is why this chappie is going to be a little short. But I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. Thank you for your support, well-wishes, and understanding. It meant quite a bit too me. Finally, I was surprised at how many people guessed the Hoes over Bros quote. Unfortunately, I'm unable to name everyone so if you gueesed One Tree Hill give yourself ten points. My sister is obesessed with the show and I watch it with her from time to time. That was one of my favorite quotes. It's the way it should be in every friendship. **

**EDWARD**

I laid on the bed staring at the spot where Bella disappeared in utter shock. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I ruined my own plan. How could I have been so stupid?

I had known that Alice was going to tell Bella. I had known that Alice was probably going to bring Bella here for some time to think. Why did I invite Jessica here? I knew our meetings always turned into sex. Even if we were just planning on talking, we ended up having sex. It didn't matter what the conversation was about. It always ended with sex.

I had told Bella not to believe Alice. Yet, here I was doing the very thing that Alice told Bella I was doing. I couldn't believe I had allowed things to get this far. I was never supposed to hurt Bella like this. I think I just destroyed one of the only people in this world that made me truly happy.

Alice stared at Jessica and I in disgust for a few seconds before following Bella out of the room. Jessica, who had already disentangled herself from me, was sitting on the otherside of the bed with a sheet wrapped around her looking like Christmas had come early. I didn't take anytime to wonder what she was so happy about. I had to get to Bella and try to salvage what I could of our relationship. I loved her, truly loved her, and wasn't prepared to give her up yet.

I ran out of the bedroom threw on my boxer and t-shirt. I didn't bother with pants or shoes. I didn't want them to leave before I had a chance to say my peace. I ran down the stairs and out the door. Thankfully, Bella was too upset for Alice to want to try to leave. They were both sitting on the cement ground. Bella was crying into Alice's chest while Alice stroked her hair and whsipered comforting things.

I watched them for a few minutes. I knew I had to say soemthing but I didn't know what to say. I knew I screwed up and Bella was very happy with me. I knew that I had a lot of begging and pleading to do to get her back. I just didn't know where to begin. I slowly made my way towards the two.

"Bella, could I talk to you for a minute?" I asked catiously.

Alice turned her cold ice blue glare on me.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" she asked with a voice full of venom.

"I asked to speak to Bella not you." I replied acidly.

Alice turned back to Bella.

"Do you wanna talk to him?" Alice asked.

Bella made a movement into Alice's chest. I couldn't tell if she was shaking or nodding.

"Okay." Alice replied pulling her keys out of her pocket. "Why don't you get in the car and turn on some music. _I_ have a few things that I would like to say."

Bella nodded, took the keys and got into the car. A minute later, Kelly Clarkson's Don't Let Me Stop You came blaring out of the car and I knew it was directed at me. I sighed and turned my attention to Alice. Sometimes she was really annoying with the protective best friend act.

"You're a fucking prick." she stated crossing her arms over her chest. "Not to mention stupid."

"Look Alice, I don't need to deal with your shit." I stated. "I just need to talk to Bella. I need to explain and apologize."

"What's their to explain?" Alice said. "You were cheating on her and she caught you red handed this time. There's no way you could possibly explain your way out of what she saw in there. And as far as apologizing goes, save your breath. I know you're not sorry. If you were you wouldn't have slept with Jessica in the first."

I knew there was a reason I hated Alice. She knew she'd knock a hole in everyone of my arguements. Why couldn't she just let me talk to Bella? I mean this was between the two of us, after all. Alice had nothing to do with it. Whyy couldn't she just mind her own business.

"If there isn't anything else, I think we'll be going." Alice stated and headed to the other side of the car.

I couldn't let her leave until I've talked to Bella. She had to understand why I did this. Maybe then I could actually begin to save our relationship.

"Alice, wait, you don't understand, I love her." I pleaded.

"Don't give me that shit." she replied nearly hissing. "You know as well as I do that if you loved her, you wouldn't have had to go to Jessica for anyhting. You would've been happy with what Bella gave you. You would've understood how she felt about sex and what happened to her mother. But you didn't. All you thought about was what she wasn't giving you. And that's not love, Edward, that's selfishness."

Her speech made me angry. She had no idea how deeply I felt for Bella. Just because I had sex with Jessica, didn't mean I felt any different about Bella. In fact, I knew if it came down to Bella and Jessica, I'd pick Bella. Bella needed to know that.

"Don't tell me how I feel about that girl!" I yelled. "I love her more than you can ever imagine. Everything she wants, she gets. Everything she needs, she gets. All she has to do is ask. I would give her the world if I could. And she knows that. And all I asked in return for all of that was a little bit of sexually attention and she couldn't give it to me. I needed that release. I mean, I understand about her mother and all but it's been seven years. She was only ten when it happened and probably didn't even understand the concept of rape. And it's not like she saw it happen or anything. She was sitting in the car the whole time. I don't understand why it's such and big issue for her. She should be over it be now."

"Yes, Edward, she was only ten when it happened. And yes, she didn't understand the concept of rape at the time but do you have any idea how hard it was for her when she started learning about it? She had to relive the whole thing when her dad explained all of it to her at fifteen." Alice replied. "And you were wrong about her being in the car while it was happening. She doesn't want me to tell you this but I think you deserve to know and be made to wallow in your own guilt. Bella saw and heard everything that happened that night! Those sick fucks made her watch the whole thing. She didn't tell you because she was afraid that you'd think she was never going to get over it. She thought you would leave her."

Alice's words stopped me in my tracks. I was in utter shock. I had no idea about that. It explained alot though, I supposed. Like the one and only time she gave me a blow job. She threw up halfway through and had to spend the rest of the day with Alice. I didn't understand it at first but now it made since. She was reliving what they had forced her mother to do no doubt.

Alice was right. I felt totally guilty. Had I known the full story, I probably would've thought twice about the situation.

"Alice, I swear if I would've known, I wouldn't have...." I started but Alice cut me off.

"Don't even go there." she said. "It doesn't matter what you would've done if you would've known. In fact, what you did when you didn't know shows your true colors. You should've been there for her enough to accept her decision and fears with no complaints or pressure. And certainly not with another woman on the side. You're just a disgusting and pathetic excuse for a man and boyfriend and that's all you'll ever be."

She opened her car door. I couldn't let her pull away. I had to talk to Bella first. She needed to know how I truly felt about her and everything.

"Alice, please, let me talk to her!" I begged.

"No, Edward." she replied. "She doesn't want to talk to you and I don't want you to upset her anymore. And all the begging in the world isn't going to change that. So why don't you do us all a favor and just walk away. For good."

With that she got into the porsche and drove off. I stood there staring for a long time. I was still in shock over what had juist happened. I had just lost and destroyed the love of my life. Regardless, of what Alice said, I knew in my heart how that Bella really was the love of my life. And I couldn't believe that I had just lost her.

I relaized in that moment that I couldn't live without Bella in my life. She was my all, my everything and I couldn't be without her. I could live without Jessica and the sex but Bella, I couldn't see a future without her. I only wished I had realized that a few days earlier. I guess the old sayings true, you don't really know what you got until it's gone.

I decided in that moment that I would do everything in my power to get Bella back. We were meant to be together and I would do what I had to do to prove that to her. I knew I'd have to give up a lot to make her see that I was serious. I would do it though. And Jessica would be the first thing to have to go.

**A/N: I hope that ending came out okay. I'm really sore and tired tonight. I hope you all enjoyed the update. Please review. **


	13. The Catch

**A/N: Sorry for the delay again. I was extremely tired when I got home from work last night and went right to bed. This, however, is going to be my last update for the weekend. My best friend turned 21 today and I'm spending the weekend at her dorm so we can celebrate. I'm sorry. However, I'm not leaving you guys empty handed, I put up a new poll and want one vote for every view of this chapter from now until I update again on Sunday. I want to know if you think I should make Edward the type who won't give up until he gets what he wants, even if it means hurting the one he wants? Or should I just let him walk away? Let me know, what hyou guys think. I can't wait to hear what you guys want. Finally, Jessica will not be getting pregnant. Not only did the majority of you say no but I decided it would take too much away from the love triangle between the main players. So that's why she won't be getting prego. Now, on to the story. **

**EDWARD**

I stood in the parking lot, staring at the passing traffic and trying to think of a way out of the mess I had made of all of this. I knew that Jessica wasn't going to be very happy about my resolution and there'd probably be a lot of tears. I felt extremely guilty for what I had to do but there was no other way for me to get Bella back.

Jessica knew going into the whole thing that I didn't love her the way I loved Bella and probably never would. She knew that Bella was number one on my priority list. Most importantly, she knew that if I had to choose between her and Bella, I'd choose Bella. I told her that from the beginning and if she didn't understand it now then it was her problem, not mine.

Knowing it was best to just get it over with, I sighed and headed back into the apartment. Jessica was now fully clothed and sitting on the couch with an huge smile on her face. She reminded me of five year old who had just gotten her first bike. Her obvious elation with the situation just added to my frustration (A/N: That was a fun sentence to write).

"What the hell are you so happy about?" I snapped walking over and pulling my jeans back on.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about how wonderfully my plan worked." she replied with a giggle.

"What are you talking about?" I asked going to sit in the arm chair.

"My plan to get revenge on Bella for you picking her over me." she answered.

"What do you mean?" I questioned. I didn't like where this was headed.

"I wanted revenge on Bella. She was my best friend and she knew how much I wanted you. Yet, she took you away from me and that hurt. Not because I couldn't get you. I'm not that shallow but because she betrayed our friendship by going out with you knowing that I liked you." Jessica continued. "So, I watched the two of you for four months and found out the biggest problem with your relationship; Bella's aversion to sex. I could see that it was taking it's toll on you and I had wanted to see what you were like in bed. I knew that I could get you in bed with me under the right circumstances."

"Are you saying that you used me to get back at Bella?"

"I suppose, I am. But you were using me as well so we're even on that front."

I knew she was right about that. I had been using her to get what Bella wasn't giving me for the last eight months. I couldn't be angry with her about that. However, I was livid that she would sink so low just to get revenge on her ex best friend. She didn't just hurt Bella, she destroyed her. And I found myself hating her for that.

"Anyway," Jessica continued. "That party eight months ago was completely my idea. I convinced Victoria to convince James to have it and have Laurent bring the alcohol. That was the only to garuntee that Bella, Alice, and Rosalie wouldn't be there to interfere. I knew they didn't like being around people who were drunk after what happened to Mrs. Swan. But nothing, not even Bella, was going to keep you away from the chance to drink. So I waited until you completely shitfaced then turned on the sex appeal. It was so easy to lure you from the party after a little flirting and touching."

"But you were as drunk as I was that night. There's no way you could've been in control enough to keep all of that together." I stated.

"That's the great thing about being a drama geek. You know how to _act.___Which helped me through a lot of the last eight months. So I acted like I was drunk because I knew you were too far gone to tell the difference. You worried me, though, when you sobered up the next morning. I thought it was over the minute you told me it couldn't happen again but I just gave you some time. I knew after the performance I gave you that night, it wouldn't be long before you broke again. Which is why I called you a month later and told you Mike broke up with me for Eric. I was acting again then as well. I actually broke up with him. He was nothing but a possessive asshole who didn't deserve me. I once again gave you an excellent performance in bed. After that it was just a matter of making you enjoy sex with me. Which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. You were mediocre at best and I had to put on the best performance of my life. Do you have any idea how hard it was to pretend to be enjoying it while trying to make myself enjoy it? I do have to say, though, seeing that look of utter sadness and disbelief on her face was worth the eight months of trouble."

I stared at her in utter shock. I still couldn't believe that she would sink that low in the name of revenge. I mean, Bella had at one point been her best friend. There was no way Jessica could hate her that much. They shared so much in the time they were together. This just wasn't right or fair to Bella. Jessica just destroyed her because she took something Jessica wanted. I couldn't even begin to fathom it.

I supposed underneath the shock and anger, I was a little hurt. I had really thought that Jessica still had some kind of romantic feelings towards me. It would've explained in her inability to let go when it was over. Or her excitement every time I called her. Even the way she tried to comfort me back in the library when Alice caught us. Or even the sad look on her face when I went after Alice instead of just staying with her.

I had always thought her sadness every time I put Bella before her was because she wished that she could've been first. Finding out it was all an act just to get back at Bella was a little painful. I knew I shouldn't have been hurt because I was just going to break up with her after spending eight months using her for my own personal reasons. However, I had to admit that it was a huge blow to my ego.

Some of my anger and shock must have shown on my face because Jessica let out another false giggle.

"Did you really think that I had feelings for you?" she questioned. I just stared at her. "Oh my god, you did. I'm so sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. She sounded absolutely guilty. "I just did what I did to get my revenge. But if it's any consolation, I did want you in the beginning. That all changed though, when I found out that you'd go behind your girlfriend's back and have sex with someone she hated just because she wasn't giving you any. That's when I stopped liking you. You are a pathetic excuse for a man and as much as I enjoy seeing Bella in pain right now, I hope she never forgives you."

With that she grabbed her purse and walked out the door, leaving me to stew in the sad and lonely mess that my hormones had gotten me into.

**ALICE**

I drove away from the apartment complex at sixty miles an hour, unsure of where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get myself and Bella as far away from Edward as possible as quickly as possible. I didn't want Bella to have to deal with him at the moment. She didn't need the added pain of having to talk to him so soon after finding out what a bastard he was. And I knew it wouldn't do any good if I turned around and beat the shit out of him. So I just kept driving.

I couldn't believe that he had been so stupid. Did he really think that apologizing would work. He was cheating on Bella with an ex best friend. God only knew how many times. And he had just gotten caught red handed. Did he really think the words, I'm sorry were going to do him any good? If I knew Bella as well as I thought I did, no words would ever be enough to make her forgive him.

I looked over at Bella. She had her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. She was still sobbing into them. I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

I needed to figure out where to take her. The more I watched her pain, the more I wanted to go back and kill Edward. I knew that wouldn't help anything. Besides, Bella needed me to take care of her. I just wished I knew how.

I looked at the clock on my radio. It was a quarter to seven. That meant taking her back to her house was out of the question. Charlie was going to be home any minute. There was no way Bella was going to be calm enough to face him. Which meant that he'd ask questions that she wasn't ready to answer. I didn't want her to have to go through all that. She didn't need to relive it just yet.

I knew I couldn't take her back to my place because there was a major possibility that Edward would be there. She didn't need to deal with him so soon after everything that had happened already. Besides, I wouldn't have been able to control my anger enough to see him. Bella didn't need to deal with a fight at the moment.

There was only one safe place I could think of to go. A place where I would always be welcome with my problems. A place where Bella would feel safe and comfortable.

"Bella." I stated. She looked up and wiped her face on her jacket. "I'm going to take you to Jasper's apartment. I know you probably don't want to deal with questions from Charlie. Jasper will know not to ask questions until you're ready to talk about it."

"Thanks, Alice." she sniffled. "That would be great."

"Good." I replied happy that she liked my idea. "I was also thinking about calling Jake, Em, and Rose. You should be around people who love and support you right now."

"I'd like that."

I nodded, flipped open my phone and dialed Jasper's speed dial. He answered on the second ring.

"Hey Al, how'd it go?" he asked.

"Not good." I answered. "Look, I can't get into details right now but Bella is pretty upset and I don't want to take her home. She doesn't need to deal with questions from Charlie. So I was wondering if we could come to your place for a bit?"

"Of course." he replied. "Anything for Bella."

"You're the best Jazz." I stated. "I was also hoping that you wouldn't mind if I called Jake, Rose, and Em. Bella needs all the love and support she can get right now."

"That's just fine. Is there antything you want me to go get?"

"No, I'll have Rose stop at the store on the way."

"Okay, then. I'll just stay here and make some room."

"Thank you so much Jazz. You have no idea how much this means to me and Bella."

"Don't thank me. I love her as much as you do. I want to help her get through this in any way I can."

"I love you, Jazz."

"I love you too, Al."

"See you in a bit."

"Okay. Bye."

I flipped the phone shut with a sigh. I then called Jacob, Emmett, and Rosalie. I told them to meet Bella and I at Jasper's apartment. I didn't get into details so I wouldn't have to repeat myself. I simply said that Bella needed them and I would explain once we got there. I also told Rosalie to stop at the store on the way and buy as much ice cream, chocolate, and junk food as she could and I would pay her back later.

Once I got off the phone, I looked over to Bella. She had calmed down and was now staring blankly out of the window. I placed my hand on her shoulder and whispered,

"It'll be okay."

**A/N: Please review. **


	14. Safety, Comfort, and a Warning

**A/N: Okay this is the real new chapter. However, I have a couple things to say first. First, I got permission from IdreamofEddy for my Bella/Jasper fic and that is now in the planning process. That poll is going good. I got ninety percent of you wanting it so I'm really excited. Second, I'm changing the ages in this fic. For the sake of making things easy, everyone is eighteen. Finally, I need to apologize to BgirlAngelSpike. I told her that I wasn't going to write Edward the way he's about to become. However, the muses tell me what to do and they're telling me to make him like this. So I'm sorry girl but I have to listen to the muses. I hope nobody gets upset by this Edward. Okay, on to the story. **

**BELLA**

I had the best friends in the whole world. All Alice had to do was call and tell them to meet us at Jasper's abd that I really needed them and they agreed to come. Not a single one asked any questions about why or complained or anything. They just agreed to be there.

Everyone was there by the time Alice and I made it. Jasper had pushed his funiture out of the way to make room for everyone in the living room. While Rosalie had really delivered with the junk food. Jasper's coffee table, which was against the wall by the door, was laden with four quarts of Ben and Jerry's half baked ice cream, two extra large bags of M&M's, several bags of chips, all of which ended in 'ito's, and three two liters of Pepsi. All of my favorite depression foods. I smiled at how well she knew me.

The minute Alice and I stepped into the apartment, I was engulfed in one comforting and sympathetic embrace after another. I was surprised to find that I loved Jacob's comfort and sympathy the most. In fact, once everyone finished hugging me, I sat on the couch between him and Rosalie and laid my head on his shoulder. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Everything is going to be alright." he whispered.

I knew deep down in my heart that he was right. However, I couldn't make myself believe it just yet. I had just caught the man I loved sleeping with my ex best friend turned worst enemy. Something he had been doing for God only knew how long. I couldn't believe I was stupid enough to think that he actually loved me and respected me enough to understand my feelings on sex. I should've expected something like this when he kept trying to push our make out sessions to the limit. However, I really thought that he loved me and wouldn't do something like this.

Thinking about everything again, brought on another wave of hysteria and I buried my head into Jaocb's shoulder and began sobbing again. He wrapped his left arm tighter around me and began stroking my hair with his free hand. I felt Rosalie rubbing soothing circles on the small of my back and vaguely heard her ask,

"Okay, Alice, what the hell happened?"

I felt Alice's hand rest on my thigh and looked up to see her staring at me. I used my jacket sleeve to wipe some of the tears away.

"It's up to you." Alice told me. "Doe you want them to know or not? I won't tell them if you don't want me too."

"Do it." I whispered. "They came here without knowing why simply because you said I needed them. They have a right to know."

"Okay." Alice replied and patted my thigh gently before addressing the group again. "Bella and I just caught Edward having sex with Jessica Stanley."

There was a short moment of silence where everyone let the words sink in. Then Jacob stood up so abruptly I fell off the couch.

"I'll kill him." Jacob nearly growled and headed for the door.

"I'll help." Emmett added and he too went to the door.

"No!" I yelled and grabbed Jacob's wrist. I looked over to see Rosalie had stepped in front of Emmett and was trying to calm him. "No, I feel bad enough without oyou two doing something stupid and getting in trouble. Besides, I need you here with me more than I need you out there looking for him."

I stared pleading up at Jacob who stared back. I saw sadness, rage and I desire for revenge in his dark orbs but I also saw love and a desire to make me happy. The latter emotions won out as he sank to the floor beside me. He pulled me into another hug.

This embrace was much different from any of the others I've ever shared with him. Being in his arms always made me feel safe and comfortable. I knew in that moment that everything really was going to be alright. Another effect of being hugged by Jacob. But there was so much more to this hug.

I was feeling something that I had never felt before. It was something that had always been misisng with Edward. Something that I didn't realize was missing until that moment. I had no idea what the feeling was but I knew that I never wanted it to go away.

I stayed curled up in his arms while he rocked me, stroking my hair and whispering comforting things. The others continued talking but I didn't hear a word of it. I was too lost in the safety and comfort of Jacob's arms.

**ALICE**

Once Bella and Rosalie got Jacob and Emmett to not go after Edward, I continued with the story of everything that happened from the beginning of Algebra all the way down to my conversation with Edward in the parking lot. While I talked, I noticed Jacob and Bella on the floor. I could see sadness and anger etched in Jacob's features, however, there was a certain contentment about him that told me he liked where Bella was at the moment. It wasn't until then that I realized, he wasn't comforting her like I would or like Emmett would. No, he was comforting her the way Jasper had tried to comfort me earlier. I couldn't help but smile. Maybe, there was a possibility that things would come out okay after this.

The end of my story was met with several angry words and a few growls. Rosalie had to once again restrain Emmett. I could see Jasper fighting with himself to stay put. Jacob was also fighting to stay in place while he continued to comfort Bella.

"Guys," I continued. "I know you're all upset but like Bella said, she doesn't need you guys running off and doing something stupid. She needs you here to support her." My words seemed to help them a little but not much. I decided to get to the important details of this situation. "We need to discuss how we are going to keep Bella safe. In the parking lot, Edward pretty much told me that he was determined to get Bella back. And I know him well enough to know that when he wants something, he will stop at nothing to get it. Even if it means hurting what he wants. Which is why I want someone with Bella at all times in school. I don't want him to have a chance to so much as look at her. He could do so much damage just be looking at someone the right way."

Everyone agreed to this.

"What about Jessica?" Rosalie asked.

"Keep an eye out for her as well. She's not going to be happy about Edward trying to get Bella back. I don't know how far she'd go to stop it from happening again." I answered. "With both of them on the prowl, I would feel better if one of us was with her at all times. Even when she's at home when Charlie's not."

I could see a look of concern pass over Jasper's features and he walked over to me.

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit, sweetie? How much could they actually do?" he asked.

"I've known Jessica since she was eight. She is a vindictive bitch and would do anything for revenge. It doesn't matter who she'd have to hurt along the way. And I've only known Edward for three years but in those three years, I've seen him manipulate many girls into giving him anything he wants. He could turn on the charm and they'd fall to hi feet. He does what he has to do to get what he wants. I surprised he went to Jessica with the sex thing. It'd be more like him to have forced Bella to do it. However, I know that he could talk his way out of anything and that includes this. Bella is too vulnerable right now to avoud falling into the trap. And who knows what he'll do if she goes back to him. And I'm not going to let it get that far."

"Neither am I." Jacob said through gritted teeth from the floor.

"Me either." Jasper said in my ear as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Nor will we." Rosalie stated and Emmett nodded vigorously beside her.

"Good." I replied.

We fell into silence. Bella's head still buried in Jacob's as he continued to comfort her. The silence only lasted a minute or two before Bella lifted her head and looked at me. She wiped soem tears off of her face with her jacket sleeve then asked,

"Alice, could you get me some Doritos and M&M's?"

I did what she asked and we started eating and talking and laughing. None of us mentioned Edward again nor did we talk anymore about Bella's current situation. Everything was perfect until an hour and a half later when someone started pounding on Jasper's door.

**EDWARD **

I didn't dwell on what Jessica had just revealed to me too much. I wasn't all that upset about it. After all, I was going to break up with her anyway. We were both using each other for our own personal gain and their really wasn't any true feelings there. So there wasn't much to think about. Besides, there was only one thing on my mind at the moment.

I had to get Bella back. She belonged to me and no one else but me. We belonged together and I would make her see that. Regretfully, I knew I would have to take the one thing she wasn't willing to give me away from her. But it was the only way to make her see that she belonged to me. It was the only way to make her stay with me. The only way to show her that I wasn't going to let go. She was mine and one way or another, I'd make her see that.

Which is why fifteen minutes after Jessica left, I was in my volvo trying to figure out where Alice had taken Bella. My first guess was our house. I assumed Alice would assume that I would stay away for awhile. However, when I pulled up the long drive, Alice's porsche was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it!" I cursed and hit the steering wheel.

I pulled out and started heading towards the next obvious choice, Bella's house. However, when I got there, Bella's truck and Chief Swan's cruiser were the only two cars parked outside. There was a chance that Alice brought Bella home and left when she calmed down. Holding on to that hope, I got out of the car and headed to the door.

Chief Swan answered a minute after I knocked.

"Edward." he said with more hostility than usual.

He hadn't liked me from the beginning but he tried to be polite for Bella's sake. However, I could see no trace of politeness or kindness, fake or real, on his face tonight. His face was full of nothing but rage. I found myself unafraid of his expression for some odd reason.

"Chief Swan, I was wondering if Bella was home." I stated not in the least bit phased by his expression. "You see, she and I had a bit of a misunderstanding earlier and she's really upset. So I came by to apologize."

"No, she's not here." he answered. "However, Alice called and told me all about your misunderstanding and said she was taking Bella to a friend's house but I won't tell you which one. I will give you a bit of advice though. Stay the hell away from Bella from now on or I will get a restraining order."

I resisted the urge to smirk.

"Unfortunately for you, Chief Swan, Bella's eighteen now, she'd have to get the restraining order against me and I doubt she'll ever go that far." I stated sounding a little cocky.

The next thing I knew, he had a hold of my shirt and slammed me into the wall that was beside me.

"The maybe true but just remember, I'm the chief of police." he stated. "Which means, I'm in charge around here and if you go near my daughter again, I will do so much worse than getting a restraining order! You got that, punk?"

"Whatever you say, Chief Swan." I replied with the same cocky tone.

He pulled me away from the wall and shoved me to the ground.

"Now, get out of my sight, and leave Bella alone." he growled before slamming the door.

I got up and straightened my clothes. Chief Swan's threat didn't phase me at all. Sure, he might have been the chief of police in Forks but my father was the richest and most influential man in Washington. I was sure they'd be nothing his money and influence couldn't get me out of.

I got back into my volvo trying decide which friend Alice would've taken Bella too. It was five minutes before the most obvious answer finally hit me. Jasper's apartment. It was the only place where they wouldn't have to deal with prying parents.

I put the car in gear and headed towards his aparment complex. I knew exactly where he lived, including which apartment. Thanks to the chart my stepmother put up. It was the names, address, and phone numbers of our closest friends and family, in case of emergencies. I had it memeroized because I had to walk by the fridge everyday.

When I reached the apartment complex, I got out of the car and ran up the stairs. Jasper's apartment was halfway down the hall. I slowed my pace to try and figure out how best to approach the situation. When I finally reached the door, I heard several voices and realized that Alice had gotten everyone to come over. Fantastic, it was going to be harder than ever to get Bella alone.

I took and deep breath and began pounding on the door. I was going to get Bella out of there one way or another.

**A/N: Wow, this is my longest chapter in awhile. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please, review. **


	15. Anger and the Truth

**A/N: Once again, sorry for the delay. I had a bit of a writer's block last night. I knew what I wanted to see happen but I wasn't sure how I was going to get there. I talked myself through it with my best friend last night and have a good idea for my direction. I know that Edward's attitude change seemed very abrupt. I apologize for that. However, the reasoning behind it will be explained in this chapter. Also, Jasper's actions in this chapter contradict some things he said in this last chapter and Alice says somethings that don't quite add up with some of the things she said in the last chapter. I apologize for that as well but, as you will find in this chapter, both Alice and Jasper know some things about Edward that they've been keeping a secret from the others. I hope it doesn't cause too much confusion. Finally, I would like you all to keep in mind that I have mentioned that Alice knows how Edward sometimes is behind closed doors and it is some what different from what Bella sees. Edward is just really good at acting and manipulating. So enough with my ramblings and on to the story. One last thing, just so it doesn't get too confusing. Since Edward and his father have the same name, Edward Sr. will always be referred to as Ed or Mr. Masen. **

**ALICE**

"Bella, I know you're in there! Come out now! We need to talk!" Edward nearly yelled through the door.

My heart dropped in my stomach. I hadn't heard him use that tone in almost a year and a half. Not since the disasterous night with the stairs. There was no way in hell I was going to let Bella go out there and talk to him at that time. Who knew what he would do to her in this state.

The pounding on the door continued as Bella looked at me. Her eyes were full of sadness and fear. I couldn't blame her. She had never seen him like this before. All she knew was the sweet, loving, and caring guy he had pretended to be for the last year and a half. She had no idea what he was capable of. I had seen it though. And I wasn't going to let her deal with him. She didn't need to go out there all scared and vulnerable. Who knew what would happen if I did.

I looked to Jasper, who was the only other person in the room who knew anything about what Edward was like before her got help. I was just as terrified as Bella looked and judging by the look of sadness, worry, and anger on Jasper's face, it was showing on my face. He stared back at me as Edward's pounding continued.

"I-I-I'm going out there." Bella said in a shaky voice trying to get out of Jacob's arms.

"Like hell you are." Jacob replied and kept his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"He's not going to go away until I talk to him, Jake." she replied.

"Then we'll call the police." Jacob told her. "But I will not let you go out there. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

"But..." Bella began.

"Jake's right." I stated cutting her off. "There are some things that you guys don't know about Edward. Things that I should've told you before you dated him but I-I-I..." I trailed off unsure of what too say.

The pounding on the door increased and Jasper came to stand by my side.

"Al, we need to get rid of Edward, first." He stated. "Then we can explain things."

"Right." I stated taking a deep breath to prepare myself for dealing with Edward. "I guess, I'll go out, then and get rid of him."

"I'm not going to let you go out there without me. Not after what happened the last time you tried to stand between him and Bella." Jasper standed putting his arm around me.

I noticed Bella's questioning look over what Jasper had just said but I ignored it. Getting rid of Edward was the most important thing at the moment. I could explain everything later. I think this was the first time the Jasper's overprotectiveness didn't get on my nerves. I did not want to face him alone.

"Good." I replied to him. "Because I had every intention of taking you with me."

Edward pounded on the door a little more. I didn't think that he wanted to yell too much. It would attract too much attention from the neighbors and he knew that.

"Let's get this over with then." he stated.

I took a deep breath as Jasper grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the door. I noticed everyone was on the edge of their seats as Jasper unlocked the door and slowly turned the knob. He managed to open the door just enough to get out and pull me out behind him. He didn't leave it open long enough for Edward to even make a move into the apartment.

I clung to Jasper's hand as I looked at Edward's face. It was contorted in rage and he looked ready to kill. I had to admit that I was utterly terrified. However, I was going to show him that I was scared. Bella needed me right now and I wasn't going to let her down.

"What do you want Edward?" I asked.

"I want to talk to Bella not you." Edward stated and his voice came out as sort of a growl.

"Well, that's too damn bad because Bella isn't in any state to talk to you. And I won't let you anywhere near her when you're like this." I stated stepping a little in front of Jasper but not releasing his hand.

I didn't think it was possible, but Edward some how managed to look a little angrier. He looked nearly derranged. Jasper's hand gripped mine tighter. He wasn't planning on letting me go anytime soon. And I was very okay with that.

"This is between Bella and I." Edward spat. "It had nothing to do with you. So why don't you just stay out of it."

"That's where you're wrong, Edward." I said. "That's my best friend in there and you've just destroyed her. It is my job to make sure that you are unable to do it again. Hell, I shouldn't have even given you the chance to do it the first time. I thought you had changed." I found myself getting braver and let go of Jasper's hand. He made a sound of protest but I was being fueled by anger. I wasn't sure if it was at Edward or my own stupidity. But whatever it was, it was giving me more courage. "I thought it was something you wanted but I guess I was wrong. You just wanted to play your little game with Bella and the only way to do that was to make me think you were getting help. Am I right?"

I realized a little too late that I had gone too far. Before I knew what was happening, Edward had grabbed me, roughly by the shoulders and slammed me into the wall. I let out a small moan of pain and fear at the fury in his eyes.

"Damn it, Alice!" he yelled in my face. "Why can't you just give me what I...."

I didn't get to hear the end of his speech. The minute Jasper heard me moan, he ran at Edward and knocked him off of me and to the ground. My shoulders were throbbing from where Edward had grabbed me but I ignored it. The two boys were now scuffling on the floor and I wasn't sure who was winning.

Less than a minute later, Jasper had lifted Edward up off the floor, by his shirt and slammed him into the wall.

"Now, listen and listen good, you asshole, if you ever lay a hand on Alice again, I swear to God I will kill you. And as for Bella, she doesn't want anything to do with you right now, but she'll call you if she ever changes her mind. So get your ass out of here, right now, and don't come back, or I will call the police."

With that, Jasper turned and shoved Edward to the ground right in front of the staircase. Edward sat there for a minute, seething with rage. He looked for a minute lik he was going to go after Jasper but he simply stood and said,

"Bella's mine. She always has been and always will be. And I will get her back, no matter what I have to do."

Then he turned and walked down the stairs. Once Jasper was sure he was gone, he turned back to me. My knees were shaky so bad that I ended up sinking to the ground. Jasper dropped down beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, just a little shaken." I answered. "I haven't seen him this angry since the night on the stairs. I really thought that he had gotten through this."

"So did I." he whispered back.

I heard the door open and whipped around to see Rosalie's concerned face poking out.

"What the hell happened out here?" she asked looking at Jasper and I on the floor.

I sighed and looked at Jasper.

"He's gone and everything's fine." Jasper answered and stood up to offer me his hand. "But Alice and I do have some things that we need to tell you."

I took his hand and let him pull me up. I was still aware of my throbbing shoulders and the hand shaped bruises that were developing on them. I knew Rosalie could probably see them too because I had taken off my long sleeved shirt and replaced it with a cami from the drawer in Jasper's dresser were I kept extra clothes. Jasper's apartment had always been extra warm and tongiht wasn't any different.

Thankfully, Rosalie didn't say anything as I walked back into the apartment. However, Bella was very observant and they were the first things she saw when I walked in.

"Oh my God, Alice!" she exclaimed as she ran to me and threw her arms around me. "What the hell did he did?!"

"It's nothing." I replied pulling her away from me.

"Alice, you've got bruises on your shoulders." Bella pointed out. "It's not nothing. What happened?"

I sighed and looked to Jasper again. He nodded encouraging and placed a reassuring hand around my waist.

"Okay, so it's not nothing but there's more too it than just what happened today." I answered. "Edward has problems, anger problems." Bella gasped and everyone in the room looked a little shocked. Nobody spoke, though, so I addressed Bella. "It's the biggest reason that I didn't want you to date him. The whole intruding on my life thing was just a good excuse. I worried that he was going to lose it around you or something. However, I didn't want to tell you because I wanted you to make up your own mind about him."

"Slow down, Alice." Bella stated. "And go back to the beginning."

"Right." I said taking a deep breath. "Jasper, can we sit?"

"Of course." he replied and pulled me into one of his arm chairs. Bella went back to the floor with Jacob and Rosalie was already back on the couch with Emmett. It was silent for a minute as I tried to come up with the best way to describe Edward's problem. After Jasper squeezed my hand reassuringly, I took a deep breath and just dove right in,

"As you all know, Edward's father is rich so Edward has spent his entire life getting whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Ed never really taught Edward the meaning of the word no. And if Ed said it, Edward would throw tantrums until he got what he wanted." I started to explain. I could tell by the looks on everyone faces that they understood. "As Edward got older, his tantrums turned into fits of rage whenever he was told he couldn't have or do something. And he tended to get quite violent. He would never actually hurt anyone during these fits. However, he liked to yell, stomp, and smash things. Which is why Ed never thought to get him help. Ed thought that since Edward wasn't hurting anybody then it was okay. Edward's school felt differently and they sent him to a school counselor and it was working. The fits were becoming less frequently in the three years he had been going." I paused a moment to make sure that everyone was still with me. "They had almost stopped all together by the time they moved to Forks then Ed met my mom and things fell apart."

"What do you mean, fell apart?" Bella asked from Jacob's side.

I could see worry, pain, and fear written all over her face. I hated myself at that moment because knowing all of this, I let her date him. I knew he could've slipped anytime, even if he was getting help again. Yet, Bella had wanted it as much as Edward and I couldn't deny Bella anything. She was too great of a person.

"Well, Edward didn't want Ed to marry mom." I answered her question. "He seemed to think that Ed was trying to replace Elizabeth, Edward's mother, and he didn't like that. But Ed refused to call off the wedding which made Edward angrier than he had been in years. It was like most of the stuff he was holding back on over the years began coming out. He wasn't nice to my mom and I at all. He never did anything my mom said and was usually mean to me. Yes, we agreed to get along in public and around the parents but when they weren't around, he was a world class ass."

"He didn't hit you, did he?" Rosalie asked in horror.

"No." I asnwered grateful for that. "He knew Ed would've killed him if he laid a hand on me or mom. Which is why he took to breaking my things whenever I made him mad. He couldn't do that with mom because Ed would find out. However, I kept my mouth shut because I was waiting for the day when he would hit me."

"So let me get this straight," Bella stated and I could now see anger blazing in her eyes. "You let me date him, knowing that he had this anger problem and knowing that he could snap anytime?"

"No, Bella, let me finish, please." I begged. I knew this was going to be a question on all of their minds. "I promise you'll understand once I'm done." She nodded and I continued, "Edward told me about his feelings for you albout six months before he asked you out. Well, I told him, that I didn't want him dating you until he went back to therapy for whatever problem he had. He refused so I said that I would do everything in my power to keep you away from him. So he got pissed, shoved me down the stairs, and broke my leg."

"Wait." Emmett said. "I thought you _fell _down those stairs when you broke your leg?"

"Well, I did, it was just with Edward's help." I responded uncomfortably. I could see the looks of disbelief on all of their faces. I just couldn't be sure if they were because of what Edward did or because I had lied to them.

"Why didn't you tell us the truth?" Jacob questioned.

"Because I wanted you guys to be able to make up your own minds about him." I answered. "I knew Bella liked him and enjoyed his company. He was always so gentle with her that I didn't think he would ever get angry enough with her to hurt her. Besides, Ed came home to the end of our arguement that day and saw Edward push me. So he made Edward go back to another counselor. He went for six months and he was getting better again. Which is why after six months, I told him that he could ask Bella out as long as he kept going to his counselor. I thought he was but after what he did tonight, I don't know."

"And what exactly happened tonight?" Bella asked.

"This was the first time in a year and half that he's had a fit of rage." I answered. "As you know, not giving him something that he wants is what sets him off. He wants you Bella. When I tried to keep him away from you in the beginning, he pushed me down the stairs. I tried to keep him away from you tonight and he grabbed me and slammed me against a wall. Jasper stopped him from doing any more and made him leave. But he's not going to stop until he has you back Bella. He keeps going until the person gives him what he wants. Which is why I was so worried about the sex thing with him. I know this sounds horrible but I'm glad he was sleeping with Jessica. It kept him happy enough to not force you, Bella." Bella nodded and I could see tears in her eyes. I could feel some prickling in the corners of my eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella. I should've told you sooner. But I really thoguht that he was better. Sure I worried but I didn't think there was any reason to bed. I just assumed it was a best friend thing."

Crying, I got up and went to her wrapping my arms around her.

"It's okay." she whispered. "You were just trying to make me happy. I can't be angry with you for that. I'm just sorry that he hurt you."

I calmed down after a minute or two then Jasper voiced what everyone was probably thinking.

"So what do we do about him?" he asked. "I believe his threat from the hall. He'll do everything he can to convince her to come back to him. Or worse, force her to go back to him. I don't wanna see that happen."

"Neither do we." Jacob replied.

"Which is why we stick to the orginal plan." I said. "She's not to be left alone and vulnerable when there's a possibility Edward could get to her."

"And, Bella, I think it might be a good idea to talk to Charlie about getting a restraining order against him." Jasper added looking at Bella.

"I don't think that'll do us any good." Bella answered. "If he wants me back, he won't oay any attention to the restraining order. I mean, I know about his obesession with getting what he wants. And he's not going to stop. The anger thing doesn't help either. He's more dangerous now because of that. So the restraining order will be useless."

"I hate to say it but Bella's right." I stated. "He's not going to let the law stop him. His own father couldn't even stop him when he was angry and determined like he is now."

"So how the hell are we supposed to protect Bella when the law, which is essentially her father, can't stop him?" Jacob all but yelled at me. "If adults can't keep him from her, how the hell are we supposed to?!"

"I don't know, Jacob!" I yelled back. "I just don't know."

I shook my head and allowed tears to flow down my face. Jasper came to me and wrapped his arms around me. I sobbed into his shoulder at a complete loss for what to do. How on earth could I protect my best friend from someone like Edward?

**A/N: Okay, I'm not sure how this chapter comes over. I've had a horrible time with it. Nothing I did seemed to sound right or work well with everything else. I did the best I could with it. I had a hard time linking Edward's issue with the situation with Bella and not make it sound too drastic. I'm not sure if I succeeded. Let me know what you think. Please review. **


	16. Plans, Relief, and More Tears

**A/N: I want to thank all of you for all of your reviews on the last chapter. I was really worried that one didn't come over very well. I'm glad you guys liked it. It makes me feel ten times better about this story. I think that's it so let's get to the story. **

**EDWARD **

I drove away from Jasper's aparment complex going about 80 miles an hour. I was angrier than I had been in over a year and I knew exactly why. It was Bella that kept me calm and in control whenever I found myself getting mad. The thought of looking into her eyes or holding her in my arms, always brought me back when I felt like I was going to lose it. I think that's the biggest reason why I never got angry when she refused to have sex with me.

Of course, now that looking into her eyes or holding her in my arms seemed impossible, I found it hard to control this rage inside of me. What was more, I really did love her with my whole heart and sole. I screwed up and I knew I was more angry with myself than anyone else about that. I hadn't meant to hurt Alice but she was keeping me away from what I wanted. She should know better than anyone what a bigger no-no that was. If she would've just let me talk to Bella, that wouldn't have happened.

I had to find a way to talk to Bella. I had to be able to convince her that I really did love her. And make her see that she loved me too. I'd make her see that no matter what I had to do. Even if I had to hurt her. That was something that I didn't want to have to do but if she didn't give me a choice, I would do what I had to.

The first step in getting Bella to talok to me was going to have to be getting her alone. I knew from the way Alice and Jasper reacted at the apartment that it was something that was going to be extremely difficult. They would probably stick to her like glue until they thought I was no longer a threat. Rosalie and Emmett would probably help as well. As would that annoying Jacob Black. He wasn't too much of a problem though. Especially since he didn't go to our school. I would just have to find a way to lure Bella away from Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

Wait, Rosalie and Emmett, that was it. A plan started forming in my head. I flipped my phone open and dialed James's number.

"Hey, Edward, what's up?" he answered on the second ring.

"Hey, James, I need a favor." I stated without preamble.

"What kind of favor?" he asked.

"Bella and Alice caught Jessica and I together tonight and Bella's pretty upset. She doesn't want to talk to me right now." I explained. "But I need to talk to her to get her to see that I love her and she still loves me. I need to get her alone to make her talk to me because she won't unless I make her. Her friends, however, are making this difficult. They won't just let me talk to her so I need you to find some way to distract them tomorrow before school so I can grab Bella and we can talk."

"And what's in it for me?"

"The chance to beat the shit out of Emmett McCarty."

I knew I had him the moment I mentioned Emmett. See, before Victoria came to town, James had a thing for Rosalie and asked her out repeatedly. She turned him down every time. However, she said yes the first time that Emmett asked her to dinner. James has resented Emmett ever since and has wanted the chanc eto face of with him for as long as he was dating Rosalie.

"Come on over and we'll talk." James answered after a minute of silence.

"Excellent." I said. "I'll see you in a bit."

I flipped the phone shut without a goodbye. I could see the plan forming perfectly in my head as I sped toward James's house. All James had to do was get Emmett to take a swing at him while Bella's other friends were around and that would start a fight. Everyone would be so intent on pulling Emmett and James off of each other, nodoby would notice if I grabbed Bella and took her away for a few minutes. It seemed almost too perfect.

**BELLA **

It wasn't until well after eleven when Alice finally stopped crying enough to drive us home. I sat on the floor trying to help Jasper comfort her. However, I wasn't sure how I felt about what she had just told me.

Yes, I was angry about the fact that she let me date Edward knowing all of this about him. I mean, he could've snapped and hurt me at anytime. It was true that he was getting help but people with those kind of problems have occassional relapses. What would've happened if he relapsed on one of those nights when I refused to have sex with him. The thought that he could've done the same thing those monsters did to my mother to me sent shivers up and down my spine. It was something that I never ever wanted to think about. I didn't want to believe Edward capable of that but if he would push his sister, step or otherwise, down a flight of stairs, there isn't anything he wouldn't do. Especially to someone he loved. Which is what made me so terribly angry with Alice.

At the same time, though, I understood why she hadn't told me. She knew I liked him and liked spending time with him. She didn't want to taint my thoughts of him because she wanted me to be happy. And he was getting help so she didn't think that he was that dangerous anymore. She was just trying to be a good friend and sister by trying to give him a second chance. I knew in my heart that I couldn't be truly angry with her for that.

There was also a large amount of fear in my heart. I didn't want to think about my next encounter with Edward. I knew how bad he still wanted and the lengths he would go to to get me back. I knew I didn't want him back but if he was willing to throw Alice against a wall or down the stairs because she wouldn't let him get to me. What would he be willing to do to me if I refused to give myself back to him.

What was more, Alice was sitting on the floor, crying her eyes out because she was scared. She was scared of what Edward would do to me. That thought alone scared the shit out of me and rocked my world, because Mary Alice Brandon was not afraid of anything. To see her on the floor shaking and sobbing with that much fear was scary enough in itself but to know that what she was so afraid of wanted me, was just plan terrifying.

I wasn't sure how I managed to hold it together as Jasper and I comforted her. When she finally did calm, it was about a quarter to twelve. At which point she said we should all head home. We said our goodbyes. Words of comfort and support were uttered to Alice and I before we all cleared out.

Alice drove me back to my place in silence, but stopped me before I got out of the car.

"Bella, I'm going to come pick you up for school tomorrow." she stated. "Then I'm going to bring you home and stay until Charlie gets home from work."

"Why?" I asked.

"You know why." she replied. "I'm not going to give him the chance to get to you."

"Alice, Edward is my problem. I don't want you guys to have to deal with him." I stated.

That statement was the truth. I wanted to deal with Edward on my own. Yes, I was terrified of what he would do if I refused to get back together with him. I wanted nothing more than to have my friends standing by my side and keeping me safe but I couldn't asked or expect that of them. Not after what he did to Alice tonight just because she wouldn't let me out of the apartment to talk to him. I couldn't let that keep happening every time they tried to stop Edward from getting to me. Besides, I was going to have to face him one on one at some point. Why not just get it over with?

"Bella, I know what you're thinking." she countered. "You don't want any of us to get hurt and I can appreciate and understand that. It was another reason why I didn't say anything about Edward's behavior. I was afraid he'd hurt you if he knew that you knew. I couldn't live with myself if I allowed that to happen. So I kept my mouth shut. Which was a huge mistake. I let you go out with him and fall for him. I aided him in getting you to fall into his trap. Now he won't let you out of it. And it's all my fault. I have to do what I can to help you. Please, let me.

It was just like Alice to do this. She was so self sacrificing that she found a way to blame this whole thing on herself. But it wasn't her fault. I chose to get involved with Edward. I was choosing to walk away from him after catching him with Jessica. I could've just forgave him and went on with life like nothing happened but I refused to do that. Which is what made anything I would need protecting from, my fault. However, I knew if I tried to explain this to her that she just find a way to knock the arguement down.

This was one of those things that she was absolutely determined to do. She had spoken with the tone that told me there was no point in arguing. My friends were going to do whatever they could to keep me from falling back into Edward's trap. I guess that was just something I had to accept, even if I didn't like the idea.

"Fine." I sighed after a moment of silence.

"Good." Alice stated. "I was worried I was going to have to lock you up until Edward got over it."

I let out a single chuckle and hugged her. As annoyingly overprotective as she was, she was still my best friend and I couldn't ask for a better one. I really didn't know what I do without her and I was glad that she was there to help me through all of this shit.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" she stated and I nodded. "And don't call Edward or answer his calls and don't let him inside."

"I won't." I answered with a mental eye roll as I got out of the car.

Alice didn't drive off until I had unlocked the door and entered the house. The T.V. was going when I got inside, which meant that Charlie was still up. Sure enough, I stepped in the living room to find Charlie sitting in his chair staring at the T.V.

"Bella," he said when I entered the room. "You're home. I was getting worried."

"I'm sorry." I said. "It's been a long hard night and I just needed to be around my friends."

"I know sweetheart." he replied. "Alice told me what _he_ did. I'm so sorry."

He pulled me into a hug. That was quite unusuak for Charlie. He wasn't really the emotional, touchy-feely type. Yet, here he was hugging me and comforting me through my boy trouble. I really did have the best dad in the world.

"Are you gonna be okay?" he asked pulling away.

"Yes. My friends are helping me deal." I answered.

I didn't say exactly how they were helping me deal or how they were going to have to protect me from Edward, who was angry and determined to get me back, no matter what. No, he didn't need to know that. He'd probably have Edward arrested on a false charge. Not that I cared about Edward but I knew Charlie would get into a lot of trouble for that.

"Good." he stated. "Maybe you should stay home tomorrow though. I mean you just got over being sick and then _he _breaks your heart like that. I think you should take some time to recover. Maybe I could take the day off too and we could talk."

I knew his heart was in the right place by suggesting it but I wanted to go to school. It would be better than sitting around doing nothing. I hated doing nothing especially when I was depressed. I just couldn't sit at home all day tomorrow.

"As nice as that sounds," I said, "I want to go to school tomorrow. It'l help distract me from everything that happened tonight. Besides, I have to show Edward and Jessica that they didn't break me."

That last statement wasn't true but nodbody else had to know that. I definitely wasn't going to tell anybody.

"If that's what you want." Charlie replied. "I suppose we could just talk at dinner." I nodded. "But I think that maybe you should try to get some sleep. You're probably exhausted in every sense of the word."

That was one thing that I knew he was right about. What was more, he only knew about two thirds of happened today. The final third was something that he wouldn't find out if I could help it.

"I think you're right." I stated. "Sleep sounds wonderful right now."

"I thought it might. I think I'm going to head that way too." he answered. "Do you need to get in the bathroom?"

"No, I'm too tired to do anything but sleep."

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yup. Good night dad." I said and hugged him one more time.

"Good night sweetie." he replied hugging back. "Sleep well."

I nodded and headed for the stairs. When I got to my room, I simply laid on my bed, not even bothering to pull the sheets back, and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

**ALICE **

I was still too upset about the Edward thing to go back to the house. Instead, I called my mom and told her that I was staying at Rosalie, then I went back to Jasper's apartment. He was waiting up for me when I got there. He amazed me more and more everyday with how well he knew. I smiled at him when he opened the door and he pulled me into his arms. And just when I thought I had no more tears of fear, rage, or pain left, I found myself, once again, sobbing into his chest.

**A/N: What do you think? Please review. **


	17. Fights

**ALICE **

The next day went very smoothly. I woke up in Jasper's arms, my favorite place to wake up. Getting ready for school wasn't much of an issue. I had long since moved a bunch of my clothes into his apartment, for days and nights like yesterday.

I was in no mood to get all dressed up so I simply pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeved but thin shirt. I didn't want anyone to ask questions about the hand shaped bruises on my arms. I knew people would've assumed that Ed did it. I didn't want to get him into any trouble. After all, he was a better father to me than my dead beat sperm donor, as my mom and I tended to call him, and he had only known me for three years. It would be pretty shitty if he ended up in trouble for something Edward did. Besides, it wasn't like it caused any permenant damage or anything. There was no need to draw attention to something that was nothing.

Jasper, of course, being the sensitive and caring guy that he was, had to kiss both marks before I pulled on my shirt. I knew he wanted nothing more than to bash Edward's face in for hurting me like. I also knew that he would refrain from doing that because he knew it would upset. That's what I loved most about him. He always put my feelings before his own, even if his were more justified than mine.

After I was dressed, we decided that I would drive us to school. There was no point in him wasting his gas if my car was already there. I would drop him off at his apartment after school so he could go to work and I could go back to Bella's house with her.

When we picked Bella up that morning, she looked better than she had the night before. She was wearing a pair of black jeans with a pink tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she had a smile on her face.

People who didn't know her very well would've thought that she was perfectly okay with the fact that her boyfriend had just cheated on her with her worst enemy. I, however, knew her better than she knew herself half the time. I could see through her smiling fascade and into the heartbreak that was still hidden deep in her eyes. I'm sure Jasper saw it too.

We drove to school in a comfortable, yet, painful silence. None of us were keen on talking about the events of last night. However, we couldn't think of anything else to talk about so we just settled for the silence.

Emmett and Jasper met us outside the school, where we met every day before school. Usually, Edward would be waiting with them. Today, however, he stood over by his car and just stared at us. He wasn't close enough for me to see his face, but I knew he was probably pissed because we were swarming Bella.

James was standing next to him with his arms around Victoria who was chatting animatedly to Jessica. Jessica was ignoring Edward and refusing to look in our direction. I didn't fidn that odd in the slightest. Maybe, Jessica was pissed off at Edward because he was trying to get Bella back. No, the odd thing that morning was, although, James had his arms around Victoria, he was staring fixedly at Rosalie.

I knew he had a major thing for Rose, but I thought after Victoria came along, he had gotten over. The look in his eyes as he stared at her told a different story. Emmett must've noticed too because he kept growling in James's direction and pulling Rose closer to him. Rose, used to all the attention from the guys, didn't notice a thing.

Most of the day passed by without incident. Edward, continually, tried to get Bella on her own, but thanks to Emmett's, Rose's, Jasper's and my bladders just happening to be alternatively full five minutes before the end of every class, he wasn't able too. I saw him glaring at us several times that day but he kept his distance.

The only thing that really happened was James's continuial stares at Rosalie. Emmett was getting steadily angrier as the day wore on. Rosalie, who had finally noticed, simply brushed it off as nothing. I, however, had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something was telling me that James's renewed interest in Rose wasn't a good.

It wasn't until after school that my feeling was proved right.

**EDWARD**

The next day went by rather smoothly. James and I had decided that it was best to wait until after school to put our plan into action. I wanted to try to get to Bella before I had to go as far as getting James into trouble. Besides, James decided it would be more effective if he spent the day pretending that his infatuation for Rosalie had suddenly returned. It would certain piss Emmett off more and make it easier for James to get a rise out of him later.

I tried very hard all day to get Bella on her own. All the while, thinking about what I was going to say to try to get her to forgive me. However, I never got the chance to test any of my ideas on her because, her friends never left her side. Even when she didn't have class with any of them, they seemed to appear out of thin air, outside the door at the end of class.

I suspected Alice had something to do with that. It took everything I had to keep myself from strangling her for that. I knew that if I had any hope of getting Bella back I had to keep myself in line. There would no chance of her forgiving me if I hurt Alice. Hell, it was going to be hard enough to convince her to forgive for what I did to Alice yesterday.

Jessica wasn't helping matters much. She refused to even look at me for the entire day. Which would've been great if it wasn't for the fact that every time I looked at her, I had to fight to keep myself under control. She was like a constant reminder of what I had lost the night before. What made things even worse was the fact that she was laughing and smiling with Victoria while Bella, the woman I loved, was in pain because of what Jessica did. Yes, I knew I was partly to blame but it never would have gotten this far if it hadn't been for her determination to get back at Bella. I felt very justified in my hate and anger towards Jessica at that particuliar time (A/N: Ten points to anyone who can tell me the song title in that sentence and who sang the song).

I spent most of the day reminding myself that once I talked to Bella everything was going to be alright. I was sure that she'd forgive me once I had a chance to explain myself. She loved me way too much to completely walk away from me. She'd probably be mad for a little but she would get over. That's just the way Bella was. Way too forgiving for her own good.

It was those thoughts that kept my anger in check until James was ready to follow through with the plan.

**BELLA**

They next day went by pretty smoothly. My friends made absolutely sure that Edward couldn't get anywhere near me. I felt a pang in my heart, though, every time I caught a glimpse of him. I just couldn't be sure if it was one of pain or fear. However, I knew with my friends around that I had nothing to be afraid. They wouldn't let Edward hurt me. I just wished I would've taken into account the possibility of them being distracted. However, it didn't occur to me until after James approached Rosalie at her locker after school that day.

Rose and I had eighth hour together so we would go to my locker so I could get my stuff, then we'd wait for the others by hers. Their eighth hours were on the other side of the school, so it took them an extra few minutes to get to us.

If I had been paying more attention, I would've noticed that James waited to approach Rosalie until Emmett and the others were in view. However, I was too lost in my own worries to realize what was going on.

Rosalie was bent over in her locker when he came over and pinched her arse. She immediately stood and turned to slap him but he was to quick for her. He grabbed her by the wrists and pinned them to the locker on eitherside of her head. He then pressed his body against hers so she was pinned between him and the locker. She let out an audible gasp. I was too shocked by his actions to do anything to stop him.

"Oh come on." he whispered close to her ear. "Don't be like that. I was just trying to have a little fun. I really didn't mean any harm."

Rosalie struggled against him but he was too strong for her. She stared at him and I could see that she was afraid. James had wanted to get in her pants for years and he, like Edward, always pushed to get what he wanted. I hoped he wasn't planning on doing anything right now. I didn't think that he'd hurt her in a crowded hallway, but then again, anything was possible.

The next few moments happened pretty quickly, it was almost a blur. Emmett, Jasper, and Alice finally came into full view of the seen as James continued to taunt a struggling Rosalie. The minute Emmett saw him, there was a low growl and he came chargiung toward James.

Emmett grabbed James from behind and dragged him off of her before slamming him into the lockers next to Rosalie. Rosalie took a shaky step in my direction and I pulled her towards Alice and Jasper and out of the way. James was looking at Emmett with an expression of mock innocence.

"Come on, man." He said. "I was just having a little fun. That's all. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I just figured since she's the biggest slut in school that I could..."

He didn't get a chance to finish what he was saying. The minute the word "slut" came out of his mouth. Emmett pulled his fist back and punched James square in the jaw.

Everyone knew that Rosalie was not a virgin anymore. However, only her closest friends knew that she had only slept with to guys other than Emmett. Most people started rumors about her sleeping with anything that moved either beacause they were jealous or wanted to boost their egos. The topic was always sensitive for Rosalie who regretted what she had done with the two guys before Emmett. Both broke up with her once they got what they wanted.

Emmett did everything that he could to clear up those rumors and got pissed when anyone used words like "slut", "whore", or "hoe" to describe her. He especially hated when guys like James did it just to upset her. Sadly, it wasn't the only reason why James had done it today. I just wished I had been paying more attention that day.

Once Emmett punched James, James retaliated. He punched Emmett back and knocked him to the floor. Emmett got back up immediately and slammed James back into the locker. James managed to get another hit in and I lost track after that.

Other students began crowding us as the fight intensified. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice tried to get into the middle of it and pull them apart. Rosalie was in tears in the corner where the others had pushed her. I stared at the scene in front of me, unsure of what to do.

I wanted to help the others but there were already too many hands in the fight. I didn't want to get in the way or get anyone hurt, so I stayed where I was. Which was a mistake on my part.

A few seconds after the punching reached full blown flight, I felt someone grab my wrist tightly and start pulling me away from the action. I looked up to see Edward. I gulped and tried to pull against me.

"Edward, you're hurting me!" I exclaimed as he continued to pull me from the crowd. "Let me go!" I continued to pull against him but he just held on tighter.

"I can't do that Bella." he replied as he pulled me through the door of the now deserted boys locker room. "Not until you've heard what I had to say."

"So talk." I stated as he we stopped in front of the back row of lockers in the room. I was well aware if the fact that he was standing directly in front of me, blocking my only exit. "I'm actually curious to know what you could possibly say that would make sleeping with Jessica okay. Or better yet, what words could possibly make what you did to Alice okay. But I'd choose your next words very carefully because I'm sorry isn't going to cut it."

"What I did with Jessica was a huge mistake. One that I regret and will spend the rest of my life regretting it." he stated.

"Gee, I wonder why." I replied sarcastically as I tried to push past him. He pushed me back towards the locker.

"I regret it," he growled out. "Because what I did hurt you and that's the last thing I wanted to do. I love you and don't wanna lose you. I'll do or say anything you want me to, if you'll just come back to me."

I couldn't believe he actually thought this sentimental bullshit was actually going to work on me. I had seen his true colors and there was no way in hell that I was going to fall for his shit again. I knew know that he wasn't my prince on a whit horse and I wasn't going to let him make me think that again.

"Do you really think that your angelic face and perfect words are going to get you out of this one?" i questioned. "You slept with Jessica and more than once, I'm guessing." He looked guiltily at the floor and I knew that I was right. "Then you hurt Alice the way you did. And you expect me to just tell you that it's alright and take you back so we can live happily ever after. Are you really that dumb?!"

I knew I had gone too far the minute the last question came out of my mouth. I saw a flash of anger in his eyes then he grabbed me tightly by the shoulders and slammed me into the row of lockers behind me. I let out a moan of pain and fear as my head connected with them.

"I'm not dumb, Bella." he growled. "I'm in love with you."

"Yeah, you're really in love with me, Edward." I stated. "When you're in love with someone, you don't sleep with their worst enemy and you don't throw them against lockers. When love with someone, you respect their decision to do or not do something. And you do your best to understand where there coming from. You put their needs before your own."

"I could say the same thing to you." he growled back.

"Well, I'm not the one still claiming to be in love with you when I'm obviously not." I replied.

What happened next happened fast. One second, I felt his left hand release my shoulder, the next, I felt the back of the same hand sting across my cheek. The force knocked my head back into the lockers, again. Pain shot through my head and cheek and tears pricked at my eyes. I refused to let them fall, though, as I turned back to look at him. I wasn't going to let him see how bad he hurt me.

"Would you stop questioning how I feel about you!" he yelled. "I made a mistake, okay! That doesn't mean I don't still love you because I do. And I know you still love me too. If you would just take the time to forgive me and look ionside your heart, you'll see it too. You and I were meant to be togehter, Bella, I know we are. You have to know that too. Please, try to look into your heart and see that."

Wow, this was the biggest load of shit that I had ever heard. There was no way he could possibly think that I still loved him. I did, of course, but it was going to take a lot longer than one night to get over him. However, I knew that I would never forgive him,. Not after what he did with Jessica. Not after what he did to Alice or even what he's doing to me now.

What was more? He was standing telling me that he loved me, while he had me pinned to a locker and had just backhanded me. He couldn't possibly love me not after all of this. I knew it and I knew that I could never forgive him. No matter how much, I may want too.

"No, Edward, I can't and I won't." I stated. "Yes, I still love you but I refuse to take the time to even think about forgiving you and giving you another chance. You've hurt me and you've hurt Alice. And I have a funny feeling that you told James to hurt Rose so Emmett would go at him and everyone would get distracted. Am I right?" I paused and his silence answered my questioned. I shook my head. "You've hurt too many of the people I care about for me to even begin to think about forgiving you. So the answer is no, I will not look into my heart and see that I love you because, I don't want to."

He gripped my shoulders and slammed my into the locker again. I let out another squeak of fear as my head collided with the locker again. I prayed the fight had been broken up and my friends were trying to find me. I hoped they did before things got too out of hand.

"No!' He yelled. "I'm not letting you get away with that answer! You and I belong together. I know it and I know you know it. And you are not leaving this room until you tell me that you forgive me."

I was afraid of the tone of his voice. At the same time though, I wasn't going to let him see the fear. I wasn't going let him win this. I refused to let him control my life.

"No, Edward." I stated. "I'm not going to tell you that I forgive you and I'm not going to take you back, because I don't want to. It's over between the two of us and I want nothing more to do with you. Do you got that?"

He chuckled once then smiled an evil sadistic smile at me.

"Oh, Bella, my lovely sweet Bella." he said as he ran his hand down the bruise forming on my cheek. "It isn't over until I say it's over. And I'm not ready for it to be over, yet."

He stepped closer to me and lean down to me ear. I had one moment of indecision as I wondered what he was going to do. Then I lifted my knee, which was in the perfected position, until it connected with his groin. He released my wrists and doubled over grabbing himself. I took the opportunity to step over him and ran from the locker room. I didn't even stop to see if he had gotten up.

I ran down the hall in the direction of Rose's locker but soon realized that the fight had broken up. My friends were no way in sight. I knew Emmett and James had probably been taken to the office for punishment but where were Alice, Jasper, and Rose?

I figured they were looking for me but where would they go. I knew Edward wouldn't be down to long so I had to get to one of them before he caught up with me. I knew he wasn't going to be too happy about what I had just done.

I turned out of the down the hallway and raced to the first place I could think of; the parking lot. There were only three cars left by now. Alice's porsche. Rose's convertible and Edward's volvo. At first, I didn't see anyone at first and my heart plumetted into my stomach then I heard someone yell my name from behind me.

"Bella, there you are!" the male voice yelled.

I had a moment of panic before I whipped around to find it was Jasper who yelled at me. Jasper, Rosalie and Alice were walking toward me, looks of relief on all of their faces.

Relief washed through me as I launched myself at them. The tears that I had fought so hard to hold in started pouring down myself. By the time I got to Alice, I was full on sobbing. She wrapped her arms around me and made shushing noises as she stroked my hair. I could feel the concerned eyes of the others on me as I cried into Alice's chest.

"Bella, what happened?" Alice asked after a long moment.

"Edward." I managed to sob out.

**A/N: What do you think of this one? I'm sorry for Alice long and pointless thoughts at the beginning. The muses told me to. I don't know why but they did. Blame them. Anyway, I hope you guys liked. Please, review. **


	18. Strange New Feelings

**A/N: So I'm rather shocked at this point. I'm having a hard time holding on to my inspiration for this story. I don't know why but I can't seem to be as excited about it as my other stories. I'm doing the best I can to finish for all of you loyal readers out there. Most of all for BgirlAngelSpike who was the one who requested that I do this one. I promised her a Bella/Jacob fic and she's going to get a Bella/Jacob fic no matter how long it takes. However, I'm unsure of how I feel about my work on this one, although, all of you seem to be really liking it. I hope it's just the fact that I don't like writing Edward the way he is. I know he would never really act like this but this is what the muses want. I don't like it but it's just the direction the story wants to take and I like believe authors are just telling other peoples stories and they have to write it the way those people say. I hope I'm making sense here. If not, I apologize. Anyway, based on my belief, as much as I hate writing Edward like Assward. Thank you to Ozzma105 for that wonderful assessment of this Edward. I don't believe that the real Edward would really act this way. However, I'm going to finish it because that's what the story wants. Sorry, for the ramble. I just thought I'd let you guys know why this one was taking me so much longer than the others. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying writing it, it's just not the way I'm used to writing Edward and that makes it harder for me to focus on. However, I do love all of your enthusiasm and I'm happy you're all enjoying it. Anyway, now on to the story. **

**BELLA**

I continued to sob into Alice's chest as she rubbed my back and whispered comforting things. I couoldn't seem to compose myself enough to tell them what happened or that it would be best if we leave. I knew Edward would be walking out of the school any minute and my friends would go after him just because he upset me. The had no idea that he physically hurt me, yet. I hadn't been able to tell him that yet.

"Bella," Alice whispered. "Tell me what happened, please?"

"Not here." I sobbed out. "I don't want another fight started.

"Okay." Alice replied. "Rose, do you wanna stay here and wait for Emmett? I got to get Jasper home so he can go to work. Then I'll take Bella and get her calmed. You and Emmett can meet us there when he comes out."

"Sure." Rosalie replied.

"Okay." Alice replied and helped me off the ground.

I was now calm enough to make it to the car but before Alice and Jasper could get in, Edward came strolling out of the school. He looked absolutely livid. He started in the direction of Alice's car but the minute he spotted Jasper, he froze.

Jasper stood there glaring at him. I could tell that he was fighting the urge to go after Edward. I knew how much he hated abuse, having been abused by his father all hi life, and although, I hadn't said anything about Edward hurting me, Jasper must've seen the bruises just below both my shoulders. Thankfully, my face was still partially covered by Alice's chest and he couldn't see the bruise across my cheek. I had a feeling, if he saw that, there would've been no stopping him.

Edward was close enough for me to see his face and I saw indecision flicker across mix with the anger in his eyes. I knew he was weighing the pros and cons of continuing our discussion in front of my friends. Or rather, in front one of my "big brothers." He stood there staring at us for a long moment then he turned on his heel and headed for his volvo.

I didn't think Edward'd try to pull anything in front of Jasper. He too knew about Jasper's past and how he hated men who beat up on people who were smaller than them. He also knew that Jasper and Emmett, for that matter, considered me to be their little sister and they'd do anything than had to to protect me. Even if it meant facing Edward head on. I was glad to see that he chose to walk away.

I didn't want Jasper to fight with him. Yes, I knew perfectly well that Jasper could kick his ass for me. However, Emmett was probably already suspended because of Edward's want to get me alone, I didn't want Jasper to join him.

I let out a sigh of relief as Edward pulled out of the parking lot, tires squealing. Alice got me into the backseat of the car then climbed into the driver's seat. Jasper got in next to her. He was panting like he had just run a marathon. I was shocked to find that he was that angry with Edward over this. I wondered what he would've thought if things had gone in the direction that I worried they were headed.

I decided to leave out that last bit when I told them what happened. Edward hadn't had the chance to do anything sexual to me but I knew he would've if I had let. However, since I didn't let it get that far, there was no point in angering them over it.

As we drove to the Jasper's apartment complex, I found myself longing for Jacob comforting arms around me. I wanted to feel safe and loved. And for some reason, I felt like Jacob was the only one who could give me that. I had no idea why. I just really wanted and needed him to be waiting for me when I got home. I'd feel so much better about what happened. I pulled out my phone and dialed his number.

"Hey, Bells, what's up?" he answered after the first ring.

"Hey, Jake." I replied my voice shaking slightly.

Why was I nervous about asking him to come over? He was my best guy friend and he been to my house on several ocassion. Hell, he'd stayed the night many times. We even slept in the same bed a few of those times. Yet, here I was as nervous to ask him to come to my house as I had been the day I asked Edward to come over for dinner and meet Charlie. What was wrong with me?

"Are you busy right now?" I asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Just doing some homework." he answered. "Why?"

"Well, Alice and I are taking Jasper home then we're going back to my house." I stated. "I was hoping that you'd be able to come over and stay with me for awhile."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

I was shocked by his immediate response. I knew that he was going to say yes. He always had a problem with telling me know. Even when it came down to me and something that should be more important, academics. If I said I needed or wanted him to be somewhere, he'd drop whatever he was doing and be there. That's just the way he had always been. I never understood it. However, this time he seemed not only willing to be there when I needed him but he sounded positively giddy about it. I wasn't quite sure where that had come from or if I liked it or not.

"Okay, great." I replied. "But Jake, I have to warn you, you're not gonna like what you see."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." I replied.

What happened with Edward was not something that I wanted to tell him over the phone. Besides, I only wanted to have to tell the story once. The memory of his hands wrapped tightly around my shoulders and the feel of his hand stinging my face were still fresh in my memory and I only wanted to relive it once.

"Bells," Jacob asked after a moment's silence. "Did he hurt you?"

I was silent. Jacob was always way too intuitive for his own good. Why did he have to ask me that? Why couldn't he have just waited to see me like I had asked? I knew he would take my silence as confirmation. That meant I would have to talk him out of going after Edward, which wasn't going to be easier. Sure enough,

"I'm going to kill him." Jacob growled when I didn't answer.

"No, Jake, please don't." I cried.

We were at Jasper's apartment by now and they were outside the car saying their goodbyes. I was grateful for that. I didn't want to have to answer question from them about my conversation with Jacob.

"I know you're mad at him. Alice and the others are too but you can't do anything." I pleaded. "I don't want any of you in trouble because of him. Besides, I really want and need you to meet me at my house. Please. I don't know why but I feel so much safer when I'm in your arms. Please."

I couldn't believe how much the possibility that he might not be there when I got home was hurting me. I was actually in tears again. I had to force the shake out of my voice. I had no idea why I felt I needed him so badly at the moment but I did. And it was killing me to think that he would go after Edward before he came to me.

"Okay, okay." he said with the air of a father trying to calm a distraught five year old. "I'll be there when you two get there. Just calm down okay. I don't want you to get sick or anything because of that asshole."

"Thank you." I said.

"Bells, you're my best friend and I'd do anything for you." he replied. "Even if it means not going after that ass wipe."

I smiled at her words. For some strange reason the words I'd do anything for you sent shivers up and down my spine. And they weren't the bad ones, either. What was going on with me? Jacob was my best friend and that was it. Why was I suddenly feeling so differently about him? Hell, I wasn't even sure what it was that I was feeling about him. All I knew was that I needed to be in his strong warm arms to feel better about everything that happened that day.

"I guess I'll see you there then." was my brilliant and witty reply.

"Yup." I could hear the smile in his voice.

Not trusting myself to say more I whispered bye and flipped my phone shut. Alice got back into the car a second later as I slid myself in the front seat.

"Are you alright now?" she asked looking at me.

I turned to answer her but she let out a huge audible gasp. I cringed. She hadn't got a full on look at my face since Edward hit me. She didn't even know he had hit. The spot on my cheek was still throbbing and I knew I was sporting a horribly ugly bruise. Hence, the gasp from Alice.

"Oh my God, Bella," she exclaimed. "Did Edward do that to you?"

I nodded looking down at my hands. I noticed one of her hands clench tightly on the steering wheel while the other threw the car in gear. I could tell by the fact that she was going nearly one hundred miles an hour in a thirty five mile zone that she was pissed.

"What happened?" she questioned as we drove.

"Can we wait till the others get to the house?" I asked. "I really don't want to have to repeat the whole thing more than once."

"Of course." she whispered and place her hand on my shoulder. "Bella, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you about his problem earlier. If I did, maybe, I could've saved you from all of this pain."

"Alice, don't." I said. "This isn't your fault. I was naive enough to believe that he loved me and understood why I wouldn't do certain things. I was to blinded by his prince charming side to realize that there was something sinster lurking underneath. I should've paid more attention."

"Bella, if it isn't my fault, it sure as hell isn't yours." she stated. "You trusted Edward and he broke that trust. He's only got himself to blame for what happened once you found out. The only thing you're guilty of is loving someone who didn't deserve your love."

I smiled at her. I knew how hard she was trying and on some level, she was right. However, I wasn't ready to admit it. I had to believe that most of this was my fault. At least then, I could believe that I could fix whatever I had done wrong with Edward and avoid another heartbreak like this one.

**JACOB**

The minute Bella hung up the phone, I stuffed my books carelessly, back into my bookbag. Bella needed me and nothing else mattered to me. Not even the possibility of ruining my school books or failing my math test the next day. The only thing that mattered was getting to Bella and making her feel safe and loved.

I couldn't believe that asshole had hurt her. I would make sure he got what was coming to him in the end. Bella was a sweet and wonderful girl. She was smart, funny and beautifully. She deserved to be treated with love and adoration. And not with hate and malice. She didn't deserve someone who would sleep around on her or hit her.

I wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb at that moment. He hurt Bella. My sweet beautiful Bella. Not just emotionally but physically, he didn't deserve to walk this earth any longer. However, I knew that if I touched him, Bella would be upset. I didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was so I would refrain because she wanted me to. And I'd do anything she asked of me.

My heart leapt when she had called me and asked me to come be with her. The words, I feel so much safer in your arms, echoed in my ears. I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up. She had just gotten out of a relationship with a guy who was cheating her. Now, he was trying to do everything in his power to get her back. Maybe, she wasn't ready for another relationship.

Maybe she just needed someone to hold her and tell her how beautiful she was. I would, of course, do that today and tomorrow and the next day until the last day of forever. I loved her and I would do everything in my power to make her feel loved and worthwhile again.

Even if she didn't want me as more than her best friend. I could live with that. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy and if that meant getting her through this and watching her live happily ever after with someone else, then so be it.

I would always love her and do whatever I could to see her smile. Even if it meant spending the rest of my life as her best friend. I could live with that if I had too.

**A/N: I hope the end of the chappie didn't suck too much. This was one of those chapters where I let my fingers to the talking. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this one. Also, I had somoene comment on the fact that Bella would not be feeling a pull to Jacob this soon after a heartbreak. The thing with Bella's feeligns for Jacob is that the pull towards Jacob had always been there. At first she passed it off as feelings of extremely close friendship then it was clouded by her feelings for Edward. Now that she's in desperate need of someone who will and a take care of her, the pull towards Jacob has become stronger than ever. She can no longer ignore it. I hope that clears everything up with them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one. Please review. **


	19. I Love You

**A/N: Okay, so here's the actual update. I have been listening to Taylor Swift's White Horse all day trying to figure out how to end it. I think I have a pretty good idea now. Like I said, it's going to be roughly five to six more chapters, maybe less. I'm not sure. We'll see how it flows with my muses but I do have an ending direction now. Woot! Antway, warning this is probably going to be a tissue chapter. I'm not quite sure. I have my ideas but it's all going to depend on how the dialogue flows. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. **

**BELLA**

The sight of Jacob's rabbit sitting in the driveway as Alice and I pulled in made my heart soaar. I felt ten times better knowing that Jacob was waiting for me. I aleady began to feel safer and happier just knowing thatb we were within a hundred feet of each other. He was sitting on the porch and I jumped out of the car mere seconds after Alice put it in park.

As I ran toward him, I felt more hysteria bubbling up. Jacob spread his arms open and I collapsed into them sobbing harder than ever into his chest. He stroked my hair and rubbed my back as I cried.

"Shh, baby." he whispered. "It's okay. You're safe, I'm here. I won't let him hurt you ever again. I promise. Just calm down and breathe."

That was easier said than done. Though I felt safer and much better being in Jacob's arms, I hadn't gotten over the shock of what happened to completely deal with it. Now that I was, the whole thing was scarier and more painful to think about.

It was hardest to realize that my thought of Edward as my knight on a white horse was shattered. He was nothing like what he made me believe. I thought he loved and understood me. I'd really thought he'd do or sacrifice anything for me.

I think that I knew on some subconcious level that he was nothing like the angel I had thought he was. I just made myself believe that he was perfect. It was much easier to lean on that precious illusion than to face the facts about him. Now that the proof of his true nature had been shoved in my face twice, I had no choice but to believe it. As much as I didn't want to.

I wasn't sure how I thought about the loss of my image of the perfect Edward. Most of me hated the new Edward and wanted nothing more than to never forgive him. However, there was a small part of me that wanted nothing more than to forgive him for everything and just move on like nothing had happened. That was the part of me that couldn't let him go.

I figured it had to do with my want to be happy. Edward was the first man, other than Charlie and Jacob, to make me feel loved and whole since the day my mother died. Those man had destroyed any faith I had in the male sex. However, Edward brought it back to me. He made me believe that not all men are vile and disgusting like those men. He made me see that they're were still some in the world that wouldn't hurt me.

In the course of twenty hours, however, he had destroyed any faith that he restored. Now, all I had to believe in were my male friends and my father. Which would be great except for the fact that I didn't think I'd ever be able to trust a man with more than friendship ever again.

Unless, of course, it was Jacob.

Woah, where'd that come from? Jacob was my best friend and the big brother I had always wanted. No way, did I want more than friendship with him. I mean, we've known each other since we were in diapers. There was no way I could feel anything more than brotherly love toward him.

Yet, here I was in his arms after being hurt by someone I trusted with my life. I felt safe and loved here. It was one of the best feelings that I had ever had in my life. I wasn't sure what I was feeling, honestly, I just knew that whatever the feeling was, I didn't want it to go away.

I felt Jacob's arms tighten around me as I continued to sob into his chest. He continued to stroke my hair and rub my back.

"It's okay. My Bella." he whispered. "He's not going to get anywhere near you again. I promise."

The words my Bella caught me off guard, even if they did send shivers down my spine. Wondering what he meant by the words, plus the loving way he said them, calmed me off to pull away. I didn't realize my mistake until it was too late.

I saw pain and anger flash across his face as he got a good look at mine.

"I'm going to kill that bastard!" he yelled and try to push me away.

"No Jake please don't!" I begged wrapping my arms around him.

"Bella, look what he did to you!" he shouted trying to pry me off of him. "He doesn't deserve to live after this."

"I know." I cried. "But you can't hurt him, please. I don't want anything to happen to you. Besides, I need you here with me right now. I don't know why but you just being makes me feel safe and not so vulnerable anymore. Please, stay, please."

I found myself sobbing into his shoulder again. He stopped fighting my embrace and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"Okay, okay." he whispered. "I'm here honey and I'm not going anywhere until you're better. I won't give him the chance to do this to you again, I swear."

He kissed the top of my head as he couldn't to comfort me. I wasn't sure where Alice was at the moment. I assumed that she had stayed in the car to give us some privacy. I had no idea why but she did. Seriously, we had had so many moments like these in her presense so why did she feel the need to walk away right now?

I didn't have much time to ponder the answer to that question. Jacob pulled me away after only a minute or two. He studied my face for a long moment then he did something that shocked me beyond words. He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on the bruise just above my cheek bone. Before I could say anything about his odd behavior, he pulled me back to his chest and asked,

"So what exactly happened?"

"Not now." I replied pulling away from him. My voice was hoarse from the crying that I had just done. "Rose and Em should be here soon. I want to wait to explain it to everyone at once. I don't think I could handle telling it more than once."

"I understand.' He whispered and pulled me back into his chest.

I could tell by the sound of his voice that he really did understand. Which was something that couldn't be said for Edward. He never understood anything about me. Jacob, however, always understood everything. At first I had thought it was simply because we had been friends for so long but in that moment, I had a feeling it was something else completelty.

He held me to his chest as he continued to stroke my hair and whisper comforting things until Emmett and Rosalie arrived fifteen minutes later.

**ALICE **

The minute Bella saw Jacob's rabbit in the driveway, I could feel a slight lift in her mood. Jacob was on the porch waiting for her. I barely got the car in park before she whipped the door opened and ran to him.

I was too far away from the porch to hear anything, but I could tell by the way Bella was shaking in his arms that she was crying. Jacob was doing his best to comfort her. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair. I could tell that he was trying to say the right things in her ear.

I stopped watching after a minute. I wanted to give the two there privacy. I had witnessed many scenes like these between the two of them. However, this one felt different. It was a moment that felt like it should remain private. I wanted to do my best to keep it that way. Besides, after what happened the night before, I was pretty sure the two would be needing many more of these private moments in the near future.

I had known for quite awhile that Jacob harbored more feelings for Bella than he let on. I didn't know how I knew, though. I suppose it was just in they way he talked and acted around her. He was always there to take care of her, no matter what the sacrifice was on his part. He understood why she did and said everything she did and said. He was essential in helping get through what happened to her mother. He listened whenever she wanted to talk about it and changed the subject when she didn't.

In short, Jacob was everything that Bella thought Edward was. The only difference was Jacob wasn't acting. His feelings were genuine and I knew that Bella would be in good hands with him. I just wished I could be sure what Bella felt towards him.

I knew she was still really upset about what happened with Edward. However, before she met Edward, I had the feeling she was beginning to look at Jacob as more than just a friend but she was't all the way there yet. Now, maybe, after what Edward did, Bella would be able to find more than comfort in Jacob's arms.

I prayed that Jacob would play his cards right. Maybe then, Bella could truly be happy with her life.

I sat there lost in my thoughts about Jacob and Bella. I was careful not to look at them, though. I didn't want to ruin the moment or embarass either of them. So I just kept my eyes trained on the spot in front of me waiting for Rosalie and Emmett so we could all find out exactly what happened.

Emmett looked worse for the wear. He had a black eye as well as a split lip. A few buttons were missing from his shirt and his jeans were ripped in several places. He did, however, have a smile spread across his face as he crossed the street to my car.

I raised my eyebrow at the smile on his face. He chuckled slightly as Rosalie caught up with him.

"You should see James." he stated when they reached the car.

"What do you mean?" I asked with a smile.

"Let's just say, Victoria will no longer be interested in him for his good looks." Rosalie laughed.

Emmett and I joined in.

"So how much trouble are you in?" I questioned once our laughter subsided.

"Not much." he replied still smiling. "I've been suspended for three days because I was simply trying to defend Rosalie. At least fifteen witnesses stayed to state that they saw James sexually harassing Rose and that I was just doing what any gentleman would do. He was suspended for a three weeks and Rose was given the option of pressing charges."

"I chose not to." Rose added. "The beating he took from Emmett was punishment enough."

"Well, I'd have to see him to let you know if I agree." I responded.

"Believe me, you will." Rose replied.

"How is she?" Emmett asked suddenly. I looked over to see him staring at Bella and Jacob sitting on the porch in each other's embrace.

"Better now that Jacob's here." I replied with a smile in their direction.

"Has she told you what he did yet?" Rose questioned.

"No, not yet. She wanted to wait for you guys so she wouldn't have to repeat the whole thing." I answered some of the worry I felt in the car resurfacing. "From the looks of the bruise on her cheek, though, he hit her pretty hard. And that worries me."

"Yeah, me too." Rose replied with a small smile. "I really didn't think he'd go that far with her."

"Yeah, there isn't much he wouldn't do." I stated.

"We can see that now." Emmett answered.

We watched Jacob and Bella sitting on the porch for a few more miunutes. None of us were to keen on interuptting them. Bella needed those few moments with Jacob. He made her feel better and safer. Rose, Em, and I didn't want to take that away from her.

It was another five minutes before Jacob or Bella acknowledged our presense. Which was something that didn't bothered any of us. Bella probably needed some time to process what happened and we were all willing to give her that time.

**JACOB**

I held Bella in my arms for a good twenty minutes just thinking. I thought about what I was going to do to that bastard the next time I saw him. How dare he mar my sweet Bella's beautiful face like that? He deserved nothing less than a slow painful death.

I also thought about what I had just done to Bella. I couldn't believe I had actually gotten the courage to kiss her like that. Granted, we kissed each other on the cheek on numerous times with the ocassional peck on the lips. However, this was something totally different. It was the equivalent to meb kissing her full on the lips with tongue and everything.

At least that's how I felt about it. I wasn't sure how she felt about it and she was in no state for me to ask her. I hoped she at least knew that it meant that I wanted to be the one to kiss all her pain away. I really did wish one simple kiss could help her now. However, it was going to take so much more than that.

When I finally looked up, I saw Rose, Emmett, and Alice standing at Alice's car, looking determinedly away from Bella and I. I appreciated that they were attempting to give us our privacy. Hell, I wished I could stay in that bubble of privacy with her forever. However, I knew that Bella wasn't going to get any better if she wasn't able to talk about what happened.

"Hey, Bells, Rosalie and Emmett are here." I whispered and she looked up with a groan.

I knew this was something that she didn't want to do. It was probably going to be one of the hardest thing that she's ever had to do but she needed to it. For herself. If she didn't tell anyone what had happened then nobody would be able to help her. I didn't want her to have to spend the rest of her life dealing with that fucker. She deserved so much better than that.

She stood up after taking a moment to collect herself. I followed her lead but refused to release her hand. I wanted her to know that she really wasn't alone. Besides, her warm hand around mine made my heart soar. I wasn't ready for that contact to end.

"Hey, guys." she called as she wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Let's go inside and talk. It's getting a little chilly out here."

The others walked toward the house. I could tell they were all very sober and meloncholy. I noticed Emmett had a couple bruises too. His clothes were ripped in several places but he had a half smile on his face as he wrapped his arm around Rosalie's waist.

Bella lead all of us up to her room. Emmett sat in the rocking chair and pulled Rosalie into his lap. Alice made herself comfortable in Bella's desk chair. And I lead Bella over to the bed. She sat down but curled herself back into my chest. I smiled as I storked her hair. I loved being this close to her, regardless of the reason.

"So Bella, what exactly happened with Edward, today?" Alice said sounding truly concerned.

Bella looked at the bed and took a few breaths before answering.

"He and James planned the fight. Edward knew that if James tried harrassed Rosalie the way he was doing, Emmett would get pissed and hit James. That would, of course, start a fight and everyone would be too concerned with breaking it up to noticed me." she explained.

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry." Emmett exclaimed. "I didn't think about that. If I had I wouldn't have hit him."

"Don't say that, Emmett." Bella replied shaking her head. "You did what any boy would do if their girlfriend was threatened. You defended her. I couldn't have asked for anything less of you. Besides, a one on one meeting with Edward was unavoidable. He would've found some way to get to me, even if it met attempting to hurt someone else I cared about."

Emmett nodded but still looked like he felt he had done something wrong.

"Go on, Bella." Rose whispered after a minute.

"Well, after everyone got caught up in the fight, Edward grabbed me and pulled me into the locker room. I can't remember much of what we said. He wanted me to forgive him but I refused and called him stupid to think that I would ever imagine forgiving. He didn't like that answer very much. He ended up slamming me into the lockers twice and backhanding me."

She stopped as if unsure if she should continue with the next bit or not. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze as she took a couple more deep breaths. She looked back at Alice imploringly.

"Before I go on, I need you all to promise me that you won't overreact to what I'm about to tell you." she stated.

Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and I looked at each other. I knew not a single one of us was prepared to make that promise. We all needed to know exactly what happened so that we could discuss what we were going to do about it later. However, we knew that Bella woudn't continue unless we promised.

"We'll promise not to overreact," Alice stated, thinking quickly, like always. "But we reserve the right to take the necessary precautions to keep it from happening again."

Bella thought about this for a minute and seemed to decide that it was all right. She took another deep breath before she continued,

"When I told him that it was over and I was done with him, he moved clser to me making sure that I couldn't get away. I wasn't sure what he was going to do but when bent down and put his lips to my ear, I paniced and kneed him in the balls."

Anger that I had never known before in my life engulfed me. I wanted nothing more than to go to Edward's house and rip his throat out. How dare he try something like that with her? I had to keep telling myself that Bella didn't let him do it. And there was a slight possibility that he wouldn't have done anything. Somehow, I doubted that, though.

There was only one thing that kept me from tearing out of the room. It was Bella. She was still in my arms looking around as if waiting for one of us to explode. There was a solitary tear rolling down her face. She was no doubt think the same thing I was.

"Did he do anything sexual to you?" I asked.

"No," she stated looking at the blanket. "I didn't give him the chance."

"Good." I replied.

"What happened after you kneed him?" Alice asked.

"He dropped and I ran." Bella finished.

Alice nodded. She looked around at the others in the room. Bella buried her head back into my chest and I could feel the distinct wetness of more tears. I ran my fingers gently through her hair and tried to whisper comforting things.

Nobody spoke as we sat there lost in our own thoughts. I don't think any of us realized just how serious the situation was until that moment. Sure, Alice had told everyone the night before how dangerous Edward is when he was angry. However, none of us wanted to believe that he would ever hurt Bella like that. We thought that with his claiming to love her and his want to hold on, even after he did the unforgivable, that he'd never hurt or attemt to hurt her like that.

Yet, here we were sitting and contamplating what could've happened if Bella hadn't thought so fast. Horrible images of that monster doing those terrible things to my sweet and beautiful angel was heartbreaking. It took every ounce of self control I had to stay on that bed. Once again, Bella sobbing gently into my chest is was held me there.

After several long and painstaking minutes, Alice spoke,

"We need to stop him before he tries to hurt her again. If he did it once, he'll do it again and it'll just get worse every time. We need to stop it before it gets that far."

"We know that, Alice." I stated frustrated that she kept saying we needed to stop this from happening but giving any suggestions as to how. "But that just puts us right back where we were yesterday. How are we going to stop it from getting that far?"

Alice sighed.

"Well, I think that we could revisit the restraining order idea." she replied. "I know it wouldn't do much good in keeping him away but if he steps over the line, that'll give Charlie sufficient evidence to lock him up."

"No!" Bella all but yelled as she pulled herself away from me. "We can't get a restraining order because that means we'll have to tell Charlie. I don't want Charlie to know about any of this. He'd just blow it all out of proportion."

"But Bella," I cooed running my finger over a stray tear running down her face. "If you don't tell Charlie then Edward is just going to keep hurting you because he knows that he can get away with it. If you tell Charlie and get something done about, he'll think twice before he goes after you again."

"But Jake, how I can I tell my father that I allowed another man to hit me?" she looked at me imploringly.

The look in her eyes broke my heart. She looked so sad and fearful. Did she think that Charlie would think less of her, if her knew? She should know him well enough to know that he's not like that. In the seven years since Renee's death, Charlie had never thought anything less of her for what those men did. In fact, he thought of her as a better woman than most because she did what she did to protect her baby girl.

I was sure Charlie wouldn't think anything less of Bella. Especially if she was making the effort to stand up for and protect herself. Still, she was daddy's little girl and it was only natural to feel that her father would feel differently about a potential weakness on her part. I knew that Charlie was not like that at all. He'd just be happy to know that she didn't get hurt any worse than she had.

"Bella," I grabbed her chin between my forefinger and thumb and held her gaze with mine. "He's your father, he'll understand. And I know he'll do everything in his power to stop it from happening again."

"But Jake, I can't." she whispered as a few more tears ran down her bruised cheek. I wiped them away gently with my fingers. "What if..."

"Yes, Bells, you can." he cut her off. "He's you're father and he loves. He'd want you to tell him. I think you know that."

She was silent for a long time as we stared into each other's eyes. Her eyes held nothing but pain, sadness, and fear. I hated seeing those emotions in her beautiful eyes and I wanted to kill the man that put them they. However, Bella still needed me here and that was the only thing stopping me from leaving the room.

She broke her gaze from me after a minute and looked down, defeated.

"I can't do it alone." she whispered to the mattress.

"You won't have to." I replied. "I'll be right there with you."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. Don't you know that I'd do anything for you. I love you."

"I love you too, Jake." she said wrapped herself back into my chest. "You're one of the greatest friends I've ever had."

I wrapped my arm and her a sighed. When would she ever understand how much I _loved _her?

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. I started it last night but my two year old sick nephew stayed the night and I had to help take care of him. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait and you all enjoyed it. Please, review. **

**P.S. On a completely non related note; I just started to get into the T.V. show The O.C. I know the fans of the show are going to laugh at me for this but I started watching it in the middle of season three because of Nikki Reed, Cam Gigandet, and Jackson Rathbone. The first full episode I watched had all three of them in it. This was last week and I've been watching whenever I can since. I have to say that I am now an addict to the show. Unfortunately, due to work and other commitments, I will be unable to watch the show for awhile. So I was hoping that one of my readers was a fan of the show and could answer one question for me. Do Seth and Summer get back together after Seth does what he thinks is the right thing about Brown? If someone could answer that I would appreciate it. Thanks. **


	20. Confrontations

**A/N: Okay so, I'm this was supposed to be up early today but I had to fuel my new obssession. My sister, along with the varied twilight cast, got me into The O.C. and I've been watching reruns of season three on Soapnet this past week. My sister, however, has the first two seasons so I'm trying to play catch up. I'm sorry, I have way too many obssessions at the moment. I'm trying to even them all out. **

**EDWARD**

"So how did it go?" James asked when I got to his house.

I was shocked to see how bad Emmett messed him up. He had two black eyes, a broken nose, and his lips and cheeks were pretty swollen. I could hardly find James underneath the damage. His clothes were ripped in several difference places.

I couldn't believe that Emmett had put up such a good fight. I knew he was strong but my experience with him proved that he was just an oversized teddy bear. I had no idea that he would willingly beat the shit out of someone. Had I known that, I wouldn't have put James up to it. I didn't want him to get hurt over me. Especially when my situation didn't involve him in the slightest.

"Not so good." I replied once I took in his appearance. "She told me that she didn't want anything to do with me anymore and I lost it. I hit her and that didn't help anything. I thought that would make her see sense but it hasn't. I know she loves me, she just needs to remember that. I just don't know how to do it."

James chuckled softly.

"So you mean to tell me that I just got my ass kicked for no fucking reason?" he questioned. I could here the annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, man, I'm sorry about that." I stated. "I didn't think he had that much fight in him. How much trouble did you two get into?"

"Well, fifteen witnesses told the principle that I was harrassing the Hale bitch and Emmett was just defending her. So he only got three days. I, however, got three weeks for the harrassment as well as starting the fight. The bitch was given the option of pressing charges but she said that wouldn't be necessary because I had already been punished enough." James explained.

"I'm sorry, man." I repeated. "I really thought this was going to work. I thought I had her wrapped around my finger enough to get her to forgive me. I didn't count on Alice, though. She probably opened her big mouth and told Bella about my problems. Which wouldn't be a problem if Bella would just forgive me and come back to me."

"So what are you going to do now?" he asked as I took a seat at his computer desk.

"Well, I know there's no getting her back now." I stated. "But I sure as hell won't let anyone else have her either. Especially not that Jacob Black. As much as I don't want to have to hurt her. It may be the only way to avoid seeing her with someone else."

"So what, you want to kill her?"

"No, not kill, just take away from the rest of the world so that I can keep her for my own. If she doesn't want me, then that's fine but I won't let anyone else have her. And they say if you're alone with someone long enough, you can't help but start to like them, so, with any luck, she'll remember how much I love her after awhile. If not, it's going to be a very long and depressing life for her." I explained my new plan.

"Woah, are you sure you wanna go that far?" James asked. "I mean you're talking about kidnapping and eventual murder because you will have to kill her at some point. Not only that but it's the chief's daughter that we're talking about. That might not be such a good idea. Especially since just about everyone of her friend's knows what's been going on between the two of you. They'll be sure to tell everything they know."

"Don't worry about them. I'll make it very clear to Alice that she needs to keep all of their mouths shut or bed things will happen to Bella. That's the perfect garuntee that they won't say anything. Of course, I am going to need your help to make all of this work. Can I count on you?"

"Of course you can." James smirked.

I nodded. That's what I loved most about James. I could count on him to help me out no matter what I asked him to do. He was especially convenient for plans like these. He had a thing for seeing people in pain. He got off on it. He would sometimes just beat a person up for the sake of doing it. Which, though I didn't understand it, came in handy in situations like these.

I found myself coming up with a plan to achieve what we wanted. I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to sneak in and take her at night. No, Charlie would be on guard at night. I'd have to wait for one of her friends to be alone with her. Then we'd just incapacitate them long enough to get a few hundred miles away. It shouldn't be too her. Especially if was Alice or Rosalie with her.

Three Days Grace I Hate Everything About You, blasted out of my cell phone, interuptting the long silence and causing me to jump in surprise. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID. The scream was flashing Dad. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I flipped nthe phone open.

"Yeah, dad." I said.

"Hey, Edward." He replied. "Carol wanted me to remind you about the family dinner were supposed to be having in a half hour. She'd be really upset if you didn't show up. Especially since you've missed the last two. And I refuse to make up another excuse for you. This dinners are important to her. It's a chance for us to get to know each other better."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. I knew better than to go at it with my dad. I usually ended up losing and getting grounded. That was definitely not something that I wanted or needed right now.

"Fine, Dad, I'll be there." I sighed.

"Great. I'll see you in a half hour then." he replied.

"Yup." I stated.

I flipped the phone shut without even a goodbye. James looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"My stepmother likes to have a family dinner once a week. She seems to think that it gives us a chance to bond as a family. My dad agrees with her. And I can't stand the dinners. I mean haven't they figured out that if Alice and I haven't started liking each other yet, we aren't ever going to?" James just chuckled. "My dad's making me go to this one. Which means, I gotta leave now. So we'll plan the whole thing out tomorrow then?"

"Yup." James replied with a smirk.

"Alright. I'll see you here, after school?"

"After school."

With that I walked out of his bedroom, waved to his parents and jumped in my volvo to head home for my weekly torture.

**ALICE **

Rosalie, Emmett, and I once again remained silent and looked off in different directions of the room while Jacob and Bella had their moment. Besides, we had our own things to think about.

We really did have to find a way keep Edward away from Bella. The restraining order was a good idea, in theory. However, in practice was a whole other sotry. Yes, it would give Edward boundaries but he could easily just walk through those boundaries and hurt Bella. Of course, he would get put in jail for that, Charlie would make sure of that. The damage would've already been done, though. Bella would be hurt or worse, killed or violated and there'd be nothing we could do about that.

I knew it would probably be a good idea to tell Ed about the sudden return of Edward's anger problems, especially if he was hurting people again. Ed could try to make him get some more help. However, being eighteen now, Edward wouldn't have to take the suggestion. Chances are, he wouldn't.

The only reason why he agreed to go in the first place was so he could get Bella. If there was no garuntee that getting help would get Bella back, he would definitely refuse to go. So telling Ed might not do much good. Other than, of course, letting someone now the problem was still there. That could help a little.

I decided to talk to Ed about it later that night. If it didn't help anything, at least, I got it off my chest. I was just about to tell the others my plan when Ferras's Hollywood is Not America started blaring from my purse.

I dug through it quickly. One of the drawbacks to having an oversized purse with no pockets or zippers. I found it and flipped it open just before it went to voicemail.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey, Alice, it's mom." My mom replied cheerily into the phone. "I was just calling to remind you that family dinner night starts in a half hour. And I would like both you and Edward to be there tonight. The two of you don't spend enough time together."

I rolled my eyes and but back the sarcastic remark that came to mind.

"Of course, I'll be there mom." I replied trying to sound excited. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Great. I'll see you in a bit then."

"Yup."

I flipped the phone shut without so much as a goodbye. I let out a sigh as everyone looked curiously at me.

"Family dinner." I stated. "My mom's trying to get Edward and I to bond. Doesn't she realized that if it hasn't happened by now then it isn't going to?" Everyone in the room shurgged. "Anyway, I gotta go. Are you gonna be alright, Bella?"

"Yeah." was her muffled reply into her chest.

"Don't worry." Jacob stated. "I'll take care of her."

I knew she was in good hands as I walked out the door and headed towards what was to be a very interesting dinner.

Edward's volvo was already in the driveway when I pulled up to the house. I resisted the urge to slam into the back of it as I pulled in behind him.

Mom already had the table set when I entered the dining room. Ed was sitting at the head of the long table, which was meant for ten, with mom sitting across from him. Edward was sitting in the very middle of one side of the table. I took the seat directly across but one seat over from him. I didn't want to have to look him directly in the face all night.

The maid, Raquel, came in with plates of our first course, salads. We ate them in an uncomfortable silence. It was kind of scary really. Three years of being a family and we had yet to manage to make small talk at a family dinner. It was made worse by the fact that Edward and I were on worse terms with each other than usual.

As Raquel brought out the main course, chicken parmesean, mom broke the awkward silence,

"So Edward, how are things between you and Bella? She hasn't been over in a few days."

"We've had a bit of a misunderstanding." Edward answered with a polite smile at mom. "She isn't very happy with me right now but I'm working on getting her back."

"I see." Mom replied. "Alice, maybe you could talk to Bella for Edward. She listens to you. I'm sure you'll be able to help them get through this."

I couldn't believe this. She wanted me to help Edward get Bella back. After everything that Edward had done to her. Granted, she didn't know anything but the idea of helping Edward knowing all of this made me sick to my stomach. Not too mention, I was angry as hell about Edward explaining away everything that he did to Bella as a misunderstanding. That was a major insult to Bella and it pissed me off. I wasn't going to sit there and let him get away with it.

"No." I told my mom firmly.

"No, what, dear?" she asked surprised.

"No, I won't help him get Bella back." I stated.

"Well, why not?"

"Because I don't want to. Because I didn't want them to be together in the first place."

"But as Bella's best friend, you should help her try to be happy, regardless of how you feel."

"And that's exactly what I'm doing."

"I don't understand."

"He hurt Bella, mom!" I found myself yelling. "Bad!"

"What are you talking about Alice?" Edward started giving me a threatening look. Which I ignored. "It was just a misunderstanding?"

"So you call sleeping with her ex best friend while you were dating her a misunderstanding?! Or hitting her because she refused to forgive you?! If you consider those misunderstandings, I really hate to see what you consider hurting someone else." I shouted across the table.

"Is that true, Edward?" Ed asked. "Did you hit Bella?"

"Of course not." Edward replied. "I've learned to control that impulse when I'm angry. It's what I've been going to therapy for. Alice is just making stuff up because she doesn't want me to get back with Bella."

"Making stuff up am I?!" I yelled and stood up pulling the sleeves of my shirt up to expose my shoulders. "Then, dear brother, explain this?"

The dark blue hand shaped bruises stood out clearly on my pale skin. Mom gasped and Ed looked outraged.

"Edward, did you do that to your sister?" Ed questioned trying to sound calm.

"Hell no!" Edward growled but glared at me. "Jasper probably got a little rough with her one night and she wants to blame it on my."

"And what excuse would have for that, Edward!" I shot at him. I was surprised to find that I had tears of fury in my eyes. "He did it, I swear. Bella and I caught him sleeping with Jessica yesterday and I took her to Jasper's to get her surrounded by her friends and feeling better. He showed up in a rage and wanted to talk to her but I wouldn't let him. So he threw me against the wall. He probably would've done worse if Jasper hadn't been there."

"Liar!" Edward growled standing as well.

"You should see what he did to Bella today." I continued as if Edward hadn't spoken. "She's got a huge bruise on her face and hand marks on her shoulders like mine. She refused to forgive him so he hit her too. He probably would've done worse to her too if she hadn't been thinking so fast and kneed him in the groin."

"Edward, is this true?" mom asked trying to keep her breathing calm and under control.

"No, she's lying because she doesn't want me with Bella!" Edward said turning on his manipulation skills. I chuckled once and shook my head.

"See that's the thing Edward, I don't have to worry about it anymore, because, regardless, of how I feel about you, she hates your guts now and will never want to have anything to do with you again. So, even if I was lying, it wouldn't matter, would it? I'd still win."

Edward lunged at me from across the table. I wasn't sure how he mananged to clear the table but he was on top of me and swinging at me. I cried out in pain and surprise as he pummelled me. I tried putting my hands over my face to block it but he had them pinned to the floor with his knees.

Less than a minute later, Ed managed to pull Edward off of me.

"Stupid bitch needs to mind her own business!" Edward yelled as he struggled against Ed.

My mom was suddenly in my face trying to make sure that I was okay.

"Edward," I heard Ed say as Edward continued to struggle. "I told you last time that if you hit either of my girls, ever again, you were going to have to leave. So get out now. And don't come back until you've dealt with your problem!"

He then released Edward. Edward stood there looking at the three of us for a long moment. I thought for a few seconds that he was going to try to hit Ed, but he simply straightened his shirt and walked out the front door.

**A/N: What do you think? I know this was supposed to be Charlie and Bella's talk but I came up with this idea yesterday. I hope you guys like it. Please review. I was sad to only get 2 reviews for my last chapter that I worked so hard on. Anyway, please review. I enjoy everyone's input. **


	21. Happier Than I've Been in a Long Time

**A/N: Okay so this chapter is dedicated to my girl, BgirlAngelSpike. This was suppose to be her Bella/Jacob story and unfortunately, it has been mostly Bella/Edward and I'd like to change that for her with this chapter. I just hope that it fits alright with what's been going on. And I know it's a little fast but just remember the feelings Bella and Jacob have for each other were years in the making. They'll explain it better than I can. I hope you enjoy. **

**JACOB **

Bella's crying calmed a few minutes after Alice left. However, she didn't remove herself from my embrace. I didn't mind, of course. There was nothing I wanted more than to spend forever with my arms around her.

As Emmett, Rosalie, Bella, and I sat in silence, I considered the idea of telling her how I really felt about her. Her being in my arms just felt so right that I wasn't sure I'd be able to hold it in much longer. I knew that it wasn't the best time to bring up something that could potentially ruin our friendship.

There was no way she'd be able to accept that I loved her right now. Not after what that asshole did to her. She needed time to recover. Which meant that she needed her best friend not another potential boyfriend.

There was that nagging part of me, though that was telling me it was the perfect time to tell her. After all, she needed all the love and support she could get. She needed to know that there was a man out there who would treat her better than Edward ever had. She needed to know that there was someone out there who was better than Edward period. So would it really hurt her to know that that person was sitting right beside her and had been her whole life?

I was halfway through a pro and con list of telling Bella the truth, when Rosalie finally spoke,

"Jacob, do you think you could stay here until Chief Swan gets home." she asked. "I need to get Emmett home before his parents get there and find out that he's been suspended."

"That's not a problem." I replied.

I took Emmett and Rosalie leaving us alone as a good sign. If we were supposed to spend the next couple hours alone, maybe we were supposed to clear the air. I hoped that was the case.

"Thank you." Rosalie stated as she got up off of Emmett's lap and walked over to Bella who looked up. "Bella, I'm sorry about everything that happened. You didn't deserve any of the shit he did to you. I hope you know that you can come and talk to me if you ever need to. Or if Alice is busy or whatever."

"I know." Bella replied with a small smile as Rosalie embraced her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem." Rosalie replied as they pulled apart.

Emmett walked over next and engulfed her in a big bear hug.

"Don't worry, Bella, I won't let that bastard hurt you ever again." he stated then kissed her on the top of the head.

"I know you won't." Bella replied with another smile as they pulled apart.

All too soon, Rosalie and Emmett walked out the door. Bella curled herself back into me and I wrapped my arms around her even tighter than before. I felt her wrap her small arms around my large torso.

There was something different about this embrace than all the others. I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I mean we were best friends and had shared many embraces like this before but this one felt different. This one felt more right than anything else I had ever done in my life.

It was like something was telling me this was the perfect time to tell her. That I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't do it that very moment. It was a feeling that I couldn't deny any longer.

I took a long deep breath as I pulled Bella away from me to look her in the eyes. She still had a few stray tears falling and I wiped them away with my thumbs. She had the biggest most beautiful brown doe eyes in the world. There was only one thing that could've made them more beautiful, the sign of happiness and life. For at the moment all the held were sadness, pain, and fear. Those weren't emotions that I liked to see in her eyes.

I gently took both of her hands in mine, never taking my eyes off of her. She stared at me with confusion and bewilderment. I was silent for a moment trying to get the thoughts of what I was going to say together.

"Bella, there's something that I need to tell you." I began. "I know this probably isn't the best time for this but I can't hold it back anymore. If I don't say it now, I probably won't ever do it."

"Okay?" she said staring at me with the same look of utter bewilderment. "What is it?"

"Bella, I love you." I stated but I knew that wasn't strong enough. She'd assume I just meant as her best friend. I didn't want to leave any more confusion on how I felt about her. "No, more than I love you, I'm in love with you." Her confusion changed to utter shock as her eyes widened. "I've been in love with you since the summer before third grade." I figured I may as well do this thoroughly, right.

"But Jacob, we were eight." she said as she shook her head in shock. "How could you have known then?"

I smiled slightly. I knew she'd say something like that. Everyone did. Nobody understood how I could possibly have known I was in love when I was eight. I really didn't know either.

"I don't know how I knew?" Jaocb stated. "I do, however, know exactly when I knew." Bella was still staring at me in complete and utter shock but she nodded for me to continue all the same. "It was the summer before third grade and one of the very few warm and sunny days that Forks, Washington has to offer. It was your mom's birthday so she and her dad were going to spend the night in Port Angeles for dinner and a movie. And Billy had agreed to take care of you until they got home."

I could see a small smile and blush creeping across Bella's face. She knew exactly what day I was talking about. All the same, I continued to tell her about it.

"You should up at about four thirty wearing a blue and white polka dotted sundress that came down to your kneees and had spaghetti straps. You had on a pair of blue sandles with white butterflies all over them. Your hair was a curly mess. It looked like you attempted to put it into a bun of some kind but failed miserably. You had dark blue eye shadow on up to your eyebrows and some had rubbed off under your eyes, giving you racoon eyes. There was blush on your cheeks in all the wrong places and you had on this hideous red lipstick that didn't match your skin tone at all." I went on telling the story.

The blush and smile were increasing. I could tell that neither was out of laughter or happiness. She was completely mortified by the story. I felt sorry for embarassing her like that but she had to know the whole thing.

"However, you have never looked prettier than you did that day." I finished with a small smile.

"Don't lie." she stated with a blush. "I looked hideous."

"No, you looked beautiful because you did it all yourself and for me, remember?"

"I remember." she replied biting her lip in embarrassment. "I just can't believe you remember it."

"Well, it was the day I fell in love with you after all." I stated just as embarrassed.

We fell into silence and she stared down at the mattress. She was silent for so long, I worried that when she finally looked back at me, it would be to tell me to leave. However, when she did finally look up, I got the biggest shock of my life.

Her eyes held nothing but love and adoration as she looked at me. I continued to stare at her as a small smile lit her face and she leaned over to kiss me full on the mouth. Tongue and everything. When I finally got over the shock of what happened, I began to kiss her back.

I couldn't imagine anything better than sitting here in Bella's arms and kissing her like this. Sure, we were best friends and had shared kisses before but none to this intensity. It was like she was pouring all of her emotions into that one kiss and it was amazing. I could see fireworks exploding in my head and I knew everything would be okay because I had my Bella now.

I reached up to cup her face in my hand and that was when I felt the wetness on her cheek. The second I realized that she was crying again, I pulled away to find out what was wrong with her.

**BELLA**

I was in complete and utter shock as I listened to Jacob talk. Not only had he just told me that he had loved me since we were eight, but he was now delving into one of my favorite yet most embarrassing memories and telling me that's when he new he loved.

It was one of my favorite memories because it was one of the best days with my mom, I had ever had. However, the outcome, though I didn't know it at the time, was one of the most embarrassing things I had ever seen.

It was my mom's birthday and my parent's were going to go out for the night and I was going to visit Jacob. When I saw my mom getting pretty for my dad, I decided that I wanted to get pretty for Jacob. He was the only male friend I had at the time. I asked my mom if I could use her make up. She let me and offered to help but I said that I wanted to do it by myself like mommy was. She let me do what I wanted to and took a picture when I was finished.

She told me how beautiful I looked and I at the time, I thought she was right. However, now, I had tried to burn the picture on several occassions but could never go through with it. I had no idea why. I looked hideous and it was the most embarrassing thing ever.

Of course, after hearing Jacob tell me that I had never looked prettier made me less embarrassed about it. Somewhere along the way, I found myself thinking about what Edward would've said if I had done that for him. Somehow, I knew he wouldn't have told me how beautiful I looked. That was the difference between Edward and Jacob. Edward concentrated to much on the outside and not what was in your heart. Jacob, however, thought about what was in the heart.

He knew that I had tried to look beautiful for him and that's why I looked so beautiful in his eyes. Edward wouldn't have thought about what I was thinking when I did something like that. All he'd think about was getting my face cleaned off so he could make out with me.

It wasn't until Jacob told me that story that I realized just how deep his feelings for me ran. I had been wondering whether his feelings for me were more than friendly or even brotherly for a while now. I pushed those thoughts away though worried that it would mess up our friendship.

And if I was being entirely honest with myself, I was difintely feeling something more than friendship for Jacob before Edward came into the picture. I allowed Edward to woo me away from those feelings because I was worried a romance between Jacob and I would mess up our amazing friendship. That was something that I didn't want.

It was at that moment that I realized what I mistake I had made when I went for Edward. I had spent the last year making the biggest mistake of my life when the man I actually sat by and watched. It amazed me to think that Jacob harbored this kind of love for me after being so supportive of my relationship with Edward. It was true that he didn't like Edward but he supported the relationship because it made me happy. And that was all Jacob wanted was for me to be happy. I just wished I realized it before I made the mistake of Edward.

As Jacob finished his story, I looked down at the mattress unsure of what to do next. I wanted more than anything to just wrap my arms around him and kiss him with as much passion as I could muster. However, there was one thing stopping me; Edward.

Hadn't Edward told me repeatedly over the last year how much he loved me? Hadn't he promised never to hurt me and to always take care of me? And hadn't I trusted him because I believed everything he said? And didn't he just break every promise he ever made me in less than twenty four hours? What was stopping Jacob from doing the same thing? I mean, I trusted him with my heart as much as I trusted Edward. Was that such a good idea? What if I got hurt again?

I continued to stare at the mattress as I thought about everything that Jacob and I had been through. It was then that I realized that this was my Jacob that we were talking about.

My Jacob who had been there to hold my hand through all of the tough times. My Jacob who helped me get over what happened to my mother. My Jacob who understood why I did or didn't do something. My Jacob who would never force me to do anything that I didn't want to do. My Jacob who held me as I cried whenever I missed my mother or when I had a fight with Alice or Edward, even. My Jacob who watched me date a guy he hated because that made me happy. My Jacob who would drop everything and come running whenever I called, regardless of the consquences. I knew that Jacob loved more than Edward ever had and that was all that mattered. I knew he would never hurt me.

When I finally got the courage to look up, I tried to pour everything that I was feeling in that moment into my gaze at him. Then, surprising even myself, I leaned over and kissed with more passion and love than I had ever kissed anyone in my entire life. He hesitated for a moment in shock, then started kissing me back with just as passion as I was kissing him.

It was the best feeling that I had in the longest time. Sure, Jacob and I shared many kisses in the past but none like this. Hell, with all the making out Edward and I did, none of our kisses compared to this. It was like fireworks exploding in my head and heart. It felt amazing and I didn't want it to end, ever.

I was so happy that I couldn't imagine how I had gotten through life without this part of Jacob. I felt tears that had been prickling my vision since the middle of Jacob's story slide down my cheeks.

Jacob reached his hand up to my cheek to pull my closer to him. The minute his hand made contact with the wetness on my cheek, he broke the kiss. I looked at him in confusion and I knew their was some hurt in my eyes. He took his thumbs and wiped away the stray tears.

"Baby," he cooed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I replied and buried my head back in his chest. "This is the happiness I've been since my mom's murder."

He kissed the top of my head and whispered,

"Well, we'll just have to make sure it stays that way, won't we?"

**A/N: Well, what did you guys think? I hope that makes you feel a bit better, BgirlAngelSpike. I'm sorry it wasn't more like what you wanted. PLease review and let me know how you feel about it. **


	22. Plans, Fears, and Prayers

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. My mom has been in the hospital all week and it's been extremely crazy around here. I haven't had time to do too much writing or planning for what I'm going to write. Which is why I just sat down and wrote this one based off of the direction that I want things to go in. **

**EDWARD (JUST AFTER HIS FATHER MADE HIM LEAVE) **

I drove my volvo in a rage to the only place that I knew I was still welcomed, James's. I couldn't believe Alice had gone off about everything like that. I mean if she had only just kept her mouth shut, I wouldn't have had to try to shut it for her and we'd still be a happy family. Then again, Alice always had a big mouth.

I was so lost in my angry thoughts that I barely registered Rosalie's BMW drive by me in the opposite direction of Bella's house. However, the sight opened up new possibilities for what could happen next. If Alice was at the home and Rosalie was driving away from the Bella's house, that meant that Bella was most likely at the house alone. I knew for a fact that Charlie wasn't home yet. He usually stayed late on Tuesday nights to catch up on paperwork. I could easily go over there now and make her leave with me. Then we could go away together and I could make her see how much she loved me.

The only thing that kept me from doing just that was the fact that I couldn't do it alone without a plan. Which was why I continued on my way to James's house. He had always been the brains of our friendship and I was the brawn. That's how it had worked and this time would be no different. I had no idea how to kidnap someone and get away with it. James, however, watches the documentary on the infoamous killers and kidnappers who got away with it for years. He was the best help at planning something like this that I could ask for.

I knew now that James and I would have to come up with a plan that could be executed within the next couple hours. Alice had probably already convinced Carol and my dad to go to the police. Bella, being the chief's daughter, would probably have the best protection in the town. The minute Charlie found out it would be all over for me. But I wasn't prepared to give up without a fight. Bella was mine and I would have her, regardless of what I had to do to get her.

I pulled into James's driveway to find him smoking a cigarette right outside the garage. He raised his eyebrows at me as I stepped out of the car.

"Hey man, we need a plan to get to Bella as soon as possible." I stated as I joined him by the garage.

"Dude, we are talking about kidnapping." James said. "It's going to take a few days, at least."

"I can't wait a few days." I stated some of my anger at Alice coming out. "Alice opened her big fucking mouth and now my dad knows everything! Which means that he'll call the police and Alice will have Bella's friends keeping a sharper eye out for her. If I don't get to her before the police and Charlie and her friends do, then there's going to be no chance of me getting her!"

"I understand that but if we jump the gun on this then we could get caught before we even get out of town!" He explained.

"Yes but Alice is at my house and I just saw Rosalie driving away from Bella's. And Charlie works late on Tuesdays, which means that Bella is completely alone. If we don't do it now, then we'll miss our chance." I explained in a near panic.

James stood there slightly for a moment. He looked as though he was pondering the possibilities of the situation and weighing our options. I prayed that he saw things my way because I knew I couldn't do this alone. However, I knew if he wouldn't help me know, I had to at least try it on my own.

"Are you sure she's alone?" James asked after awhile.

"Positive. Charlie won't be home for another hour. Alice is at our house, most likely rallying the troops for Bella's protection. Rosalie was heading toward Emmett's house when I saw her pass me on the way here. So there's no one else who would be there with her at the moment." I explained.

"What about Alice's boy toy?"

"Jasper? He's at work. He can't afford time off."

"Okay. So if she's alone, then why not just try talking to her again?"

"Because, I already know what her answer will be."

"But it wouldn't hurt to try again." James pressed. I just shook my head knowing it was going to be a lost cause. "Okay, I'll tell you what. I'll go with you and you try talking to her again, and if she doesn't listen this time, then we'll take her. Is that good enough for you?"

"Yes." I said knowing that agreeing was the only way I was going to get him to help me.

"Then come with me." James stated. "We need to get some supplies just in case it comes down to kidnapping."

He opened the garage and I followed him inside, grateful for a wonderful friend like him.

**ALICE (JUST AFTER ED KICKED EDWARD OUT) **

"Alice, are you alright?" my mom asked.

I could feel bruises forming on my face where Edward punched me. My hands and hips throbbed from the way that he was straddling me. However, my physical condition wasn't what was worrying me. Ed had just sent an angry Edward away and I had no idea where he was going. For all I knew, he could be going after Bella and planning to do, God only knew what.

"No." I started but looked at Ed instead of my mother. "You need to call Chief Swan now. Have him get home as soon as possible and have him get as many officers as possible on the look out for Edward."

"Alice, I'm sure it's fine. Yes, he's angry but I doubt he'll do anything stupid or illegal." Ed protested trying to calm me.

"No, Ed, you don't understand." I appealed. "Edward's anger is triggered by someone keeping him away from something he wants. You know that. And he wants Bella, but none of us are going to let him have her and that pisses him off. She doesn't even want him back and the fact that she's fighting to stay away from him, is pissing him off even more. He wants her, Ed, and he won't stop until he's got her and done, God only knows what. Please?"

Ed stared at me for the longest time. I knew this must've been a tough decision for him. He wanted to have faith in his son, but also wanted to do the right thing. And he knew with Edward's problems that what I was saying was true. Edward would hurt and possibly kill Bella if she didn't give him what he wanted. Which was her.

"Carol, darling, could you bring the cordless to my study?" he finally said. "I need to speak with Chief Swan."

"Of course, dear." Mom replied and headed out of the dining room.

"In the meantime, Alice, I want you to call your friends and get all of them to Bella's. Make sure that at least two of them are with her tonight. We shouldn't take any chances on this." Ed stated before turning to leave.

I was estatic about the fact that he chose to believe me on all of this and take me seriously. He didn't think I was crazy paranoid about it, like any normal stepfather. Hell, any normal stepfather would've let Edward continue to pummel me and tell me I deserved it later. However, Ed defended me and believed that Edward would hurt Bella. I guess he had seen enough from Edward growing up to know how dangerous he was.

I got out of the chair and launched myself into his arms. I felt tears prickling my vision but I tried to avoid letting them fall. I didn't think I had ever loved Ed more in the entire three years that I had known him.

"Thank you for believing me." I whispered.

"Just because you're not my blood doesn't mean you're any less my daughter. And a father doesn't doubt his daughter." he replied then pulled away and walked to his study before we could get anymore emotional.

I wiped the tears that had fallen against my will and headed to my room. I had to warn my friends and Bella.

**BELLA (A HALF HOUR AFTER JACOB CONFESSED HIS LOVE TO HER) **

Jacob and I were kissing again. I couldn't help it. Honestly, I had never in my life thought about what in would feel like to kiss him like this. Now that I was, though, I couldn't imagine how I'd survived eighteen years not kissing him like this. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. And I didn't want to spend another second not feeling it.

I felt terrible because Alice had called several times in the past half hour. But I just couldn't stop long enough to answer it. I knew I should've answered it, especially with the threat of Edward turning up any minute. However, sitting in Jacob'sembrace with his lips pressed to mine, I felt like nothing bad could ever happen to me again.

"Baby," Jacob said pulling away after Alice called for like the millionth time. "Are you gonna answer that?"

"No." I replied. "It's Alice with a dose of reality that I don't want to think about, right now. I just want to stay lost in your kiss and embrace. And not have to worry about Edward ever again."

"Honey," he replied pulling me back into his chest. "Listen to me, it doesn't matter what she has to say about him because you don't have to worry about him anymore. I'm going to be here forever, and I won't let him hurt you ever again. I swear it."

"I know." I replied holding him. "But I can't not worry about him. Only Alice knows what he's capable of and Alice is terrified of him. And Alice isn't afraid of anything. And that scares the shit out of me."

"I know." he whispered rubbing comforting circles on my back. "I know. And I wish there was something that I could do to take that fear away but there isn't. Just know that I'm here and I won't let him hurt you. Okay?" I nodded into his chest. "Now, why don't you call Alice back. By the number of times she's called, I think it's important."

I pulled away from him to go grab my phone. I didn't feel any better about being brought back to reality. Nor did Jacob's promise comfort me any. Sure, I believed that he would protect me but I was scared to death what Edward would do to Jacob to get to me. However, I couldn't tell him that was my fear. He would just brush it off as nothing because that was the way Jacob was. He worried about me more than himself. And always put my happiness and safety before his.

I punched in Alice's number and her phone rang three times before she answered.

"God, Bella, you had me worried sick!" she exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine." I stated a little taken aback. "I was just a bit preoccupied with Jacob."

I hoped she understood the implication in my tone.

"As happy as I am for that." she said sounding slightly annoyed. "We have a major Edward crisis that I've been trying to tell you about."

"What Edward crisis?" I asked with a light shake in my voice.

"He's AWOL. He attacked me and Ed kicked him out."

"What?!" I yelled. Jacob looked slightly alarmed.

"We don't know where he is. I called Rose but she and Em are doing damage control with Mr. and Mrs. McCarty and Jazz is still at work. So Jacob is the only protection you've got right now. Or at least until Ed gets a hold of Charlie but the phone at bthe station is busy. So just sit tight with Jacob, which shouldn't be hard, considering?" There was slight hitch in her voice on that last part. "And I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay." I replied but I could feel my heart drop into my chest. What would happen if Edward showed up? Not to me but to Jacob or Alice even. I couldn't let them be here if he showed up. They didn't need to get hurt.

"Just don't let him in, whatever you do."

"Okay." I stated. Of course, I had no intention of stopping him from coming in. If it kept Alice and the love of my life from getting hurt, then I do anything, say anything, or go anywhere that Edward wanted me too.

"Now, give the phone to Jacob."

I rolled my eyes and handed the phone to Jacob. I knew she wouldn't trust the fact that I'd tell Jacob the truth. She'd probably tell him not to let me even answer the door if he showed up. Perfect. I'd just have to find a way to get around him.

Jacob took the phone and I went over to the window. I could hear Alice's muffled voice from the other end of the phone with Jacob's responses of yeah and uh-huh. I blocked it out after a few minutes and just stared out the window. I was terrified that Edward was just going to show up before I had a chance to figure something out.

I wasn't even stare out the window for more than a minute when my worst fears came true. Edward's volvo pulled in behind my truck and Edward wasn't alone. My heart dropped in my chest as I thought about all the things that could happen. I knew I had to keep Jacob from finding out he was here. Who knew what would happen if Jacob tried to protect me.

I gulped and looked over my shoulder at Jacob. He was still talking to Alice and hadn't noticed a change in my attitude.

"I'm going to go get some water." I said to him and he nodded as he listened to what was no doubt Alice's master plan.

I walked down the stairs as quickly as I could and made it to the door before Edward had a chance to knock. I took a deep breath and pulled it open.

Edward was standing on the porch looking a little angry. I looked over to see that his friend, James was the one her brought. James was sitting in the car looking slightly nervous but had the same determined and malicious look in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed trying to keep my voice down so Jacob wouldn't hear.

"Look, Bella, I know you're upset about what I said and did, and I'm so sorry. But you don't understand how much I love and need you. Please just forgive me and we can start over." He stated coming closer to me. I backed myself closer to the house several inches away from the door.

"You're right, I don't understand and I don't want to." I stated. "You hurt me Edward not just emotionally but physically too. Do you honestly expect me to forgive you for that? Because I can't and I won't. Besides, I have someone else now and I love him more than I ever loved you!"

"You what?!" He asked. "Who is he?"

"Like I would tell you and give you the chance to hurt him. But he loves and I love him and you and I are through. So just go home and get over it." I stated.

I wasn't sure where my sudden blast of courage came from. I assumed it was my want to keep him away from Jacob. If anyon had to be hurt over this it was going to be me. Sure enough, as the last words left my mouth, I felt Edward's hand wrap around my throat and squeeze just a little.

"No, Bella, it's far from over." he growled. "You belong to me and I'm not letting you go."

**JACOB (SHORTLY AFTER BELLA LEFT THE ROOM) **

I didn't even bother saying goodbye to Alice before I flipped the phone shut and raced down the stairs. I had heard raised voices coming from outside. One of which was Bella's and the other Edward's. I didn't even stop to lookn out the window to see what was happening. I just knew I had to get down there and stop him from hurting my precious Bella.

"No, Bella, it's far from over. You belong to me and I'm not letting you go." I heard Edward growl just before I swung the door open.

"She doesn't belong to anyone, you son of a bitch." I said then my eyes fell on the scene.

He had his hand clamped around her throat as she struggled to get a breath with tears of fear rolling down her cheeks.

"Let her go!" I growled as I grabbed the wrist of the hand that was holding her throat.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Edward growled and used his free hand to punch me in the gut. I doubled over as the wind was knocked out of me. Edward laughed. "And here I was worried to find that you weren't alone." He sneered at Bella.

"Keep your hands off of him!" Bella choked out.

"No, Bella." I replied as I stood back up. "Let's see him take on someone his own size. Let him see what it's like to fight man man instead of beating on a girl."

"No, Jacob, don't." Bella pleaded and I could see more tears forming.

"I promised I'd protect you." I told her with a weak smile. "And I've got to keep that promise."

**BELLA **

As Jacob said the words, I watched realization dawn on Edward's face and knew Jacob wasn't going to live through this. Edward released me, grabbed Jacob by the shirt and threw him off the porch. Then Edward, literally jumped on top of him and started to pummel him. I could see Jacob flailing and trying to fight back but I knew it was no good. Edward was way beyond rage, I could see that from the way the look on her face.

Once I got my bearings back, I ran to Edward and tried to pull him off of Jaocb, all the while begging him to stop. He just kept shrugging me off of him. Tears blurred my vision as I started to see blood covering Jacob's face.

"Edward, please!" I begged as more tears spelled from my eyes. I continued my attempts to pull him off of Jacob but it was no good. Eventually, I felt to strong arms wrap around me and pull me away. "No, let me go!" I yelled as I was being pulled away. "Jacob!" More tears clouded my vision as I felt something cold and sharp being pressed against my throat.

"Now, shut up and hold still." I heard James say in my ear.

I gulped but stopped yelling and moving. I was forced to watch Edward beat on Jacob until Jacob stopped fighting back. Only then did Edward stop. As Edward walked away, I realized the only reason that Jacob had stopped figthing was because he was unconscious or worse, dead.

No, I refused to think that. Jacob couldn't be dead. Not when we had just found each other. That wouldn't have been right or fair. I couldn't have been doomed to spend the rest of my life in the hands of Edward.

Edward slowly walked over to where I was still being held by James with a sick twisted smile on his face. His gripped my chin tightly, forcing my to make eye contect with him.

'Like I said, you belong to me and I'm not going to let you go." he said before bringing his lips crashing down on mine. I found myself wanting to throw up as he moved his tongue around my impassive one. He was smirking when he finally pulled away. "Let's go."

I got one last glimpse at Jacob's bloody form lying motionless on the lawn before James dragged me to the volvo. Tears were streaming down my face as he shoved me into the backseat and climbed in next to me.

We were almost five minutes from the house before I heard the sirens from the ambulances and police cars that were headed to my house. I could only pray that my angel, Jacob had survived and would somehow find me.

**A/N: So what do you think? Was it worth the wait? I hope so. Let me know what you think. Also, I know a lot of you are thinking what about neighbors. Well, for this particularly fic, Bella and Charlie leave a mile and a half from the nearest neighbor. The probably heard some yelling but didn't think anything of it. Anyway, please review. I hope this didn't go too fast. **


	23. Fear

**A/N: As you will find out in this chapter, I've made a change. James and Edward do end up coming up with a plan. A plan that was intially meant for someone else. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. **

**ALICE **

The minute Jacob just hung up on me, I knew that there was something wrong and I raced out of my room and to my car without even telling my parents where I was going. I drove to Bella's house at eighty miles an hour with horrible images of what could possibly have happened to Bella and Jacob flashing through my mind.

I reached Bella's house in a record time of ten minutes. The first thing I saw when I got there was Jacob's bloody and motionless body laying in the grass. I parked the car uncerimoniously in the driveway and jumped out without even bothering with the door.

I ran to Jacob and knelt beside him. His face was covered in blood and he wouldn't respond to my attempts to wake him up. My mind was going crazy with thoughts of what could possibly have happened as I checked for a pulse. Thankfully, I found one. It wasn't weak but it could've been a little stronger. I pulled my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands and fumbled to flip it open. Then I dialed 9-1-1.

"9-1-1. What is your emergency?" I friendly female voice asked.

"My name is Alice Brandon and I'm at Chief Swan's residence." I stated my voice shaking. "I have a seventeen year old male unconcious on the front lawn. He looks as though he's been beat pretty bad. Can you send an ambulance?"

"Yes, ma'am." The woman replied. "Please stay with him until they get there."

"Of course." I replied and flipped my phone shut.

With still shaking fingers, I laid the phone on the ground and pulled off my hoodie.

I used it to wipe the blood off of his face the best I could. When I was sure that it was out of his eyes and away from his mouth. It helps to have a mom who's certified in first aid and used to volunteer with an EMS team. She taught me some of the basics of first aid.

However, before I could do more than wipe his face, my worries over what happened to Bella got the best of me. I picked my phone up off the ground and dialed Bella's number with still trembling fingers. It rang six times before going to voicemail. My heart dropped to my stomach. No, he couldn't have her. Out of sheer desperation, I tried it two more times. When I got the voicemail both times, I was forced to believe that he had her. I just didn't know where.

I threw my phone across the yard and let out a very frustrated scream then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me to find an EMT standing there.

"Are you Alice Brandon?" he asked.

"Yes, I am." I answered and he nodded.

"Well, we can take things from here Miss Brandon." he said soothingly. "Why don't you step over there and take a few breaths?"

I nodded and did what he said. Or at least I tried. My mind was racing with thoughts of what that psycho was doing to my best friend at the moment. I needed to call the police or talk to Charlie. I needed to let someone know what happened but I was to frozen in shock and fear to even begin to do or say anything. I watched, shaking with fear, as they took Jacob's vitals and got him ready for the ambulance ride to the hospital. I was about to climb in the back of the ambulance when Charlie's cruiser pulled into the driveway. He got out and came straight to me.

"Alice, I came as soon I got off the phone with Ed." he stated. "What happened? And where's Bella?"

"Charlie, maybe you should come inside so we can talk." I stated as calmly as I could in my paniced state. Normally, Charlie would not have calmed down until he knew where Bella was, however, I had an effect on him that most people didn't. Charlie tended to listen to me where he would ignore others.

"Okay." He replied as the pulled the stretcher with Jacob's body into the ambulance.

"Is anyone coming with him?" the EMT stopped in front of me to ask.

"No," I replied and pulled a small notepad out of my purse. "But here's the number for his father, Billy Black. Could you please give him a call? I have to talk to Chief Swan for a moment then I'll go up there myself."

I handed him the paper that I had scribbled Billy's number on.

"Alright. Thank you." The EMT took it and continued to the ambulance.

"No, thank you." I yelled after him then led and confused and worried Charlie into the house.

I led him to the kitchen and sat him down at the table. I took the seat across from him and put my head in my hands and, once again, screamed into them. Once I got that out of my system, I looked back to Charlie.

"Alice, what happened?" he asked. I could hear the worry in his voice as much as I could see it on his face.

"Before I can even begin to explain things, I need to know what Ed told you on the phone." I stated.

"He explained that Edward has anger issues and they're most prodominant when he isn't getting something he wants. He said that Edward flew into a rage tonight and started hitting you so Ed kicked him out. He told me to get home as soon as possible because you seemed to think that he'd be coming after Bella." Charlie explained the worry still apparent on his face.

"Okay, good. So you know the basics." I stated. "Now, I have to fill in the holes but it might take a few minutes so just bear with me."

"Just tell me what's going on." Charlie replied.

I took a deep breath and launched into the explanations of everything that's been going on since Edward started liking Bella. Everything from the night Edward pushed me down the stairs when I told him that I didn't want him dating Bella, all the way up until what happened in the locker room today with Edward and Bella. I explained how we came home a decided not to leave Bella alone just in case Edward tried something. I explained what I knew to be facts up until Edward stormed off after dinner. Charlie just stared at me in shock and horror as I fought the tears to finish my explanation.

"I can only assume what happened after I called Bella to warn her about Edward leaving. I was talking to Jacob and trying to make sure the he didn't let her do anything stupid and he hung up on me. I knew at that point that something was wrong and got here as fast as I could. However, all I found was Jacob unconcious on the lawn and Bella was gone. I'm pretty sure that it was all Edward but I don't have a clue what happened or where he would've taken her. And we can't even be positive if it was Edward until Jacob wakes up. Which is something I should be there for but I need to help you find Bella. And I need to call Rose, Em, and Jazz to let them know what's going on. And it's just too much." My panic started to rise in my chest. I knew I was at the point of hysteria. "And I don't even know where to begin to look for Bella."

"Alice, just calm down and breathe." he stated. "Go to the hospital and be with Jacob. Call your friends and have them meet you there. I'll call some friends of mine and get them on an investigation of this whole thing. I'll get the other officers in the state to keep a look out for an eighteen year old fitting Edward's description as well as a silver volvo. We'll find her."

I was surprised at how calm he was after just finding out that his daughter was in the hands of her psycho ex-boyfriend. Then again, I supposed there was only room for one freak out. So since, I was freaking out, he had to stay calm and level headed about it.

"Alright." I stated. "I think you should also tell them to watch out for a boy named James Masterson. He's Edward's best friend and the brains behind all of Edward's schemes. Also, you might wanna have someone question Victoria Weber. She's James's girlfriend. She might have some idea where they'd take her. Also, have them talk to Jessica Stanley. I'm not sure if she would know anything about where they are. I don't think she was very happy with what Edward did but she hates Bella so I don't know what she'd be feeling about the whole thing."

"Alice, go to the hospital and see Jacob." Charlie stated. "I'll take care of the search for Bella, okay?"

I nodded and he pushed me towards the door before I could talk myself into more hysteria. I got into my car and drove sixty miles an hour to the hospital. Billy was already in the waiting room when I arrived. He told me that he hadn't heard anything yet before I stepped outside to call Rose and Jazz.

I explained what I thought happened and that Jacob was in the hospital. Rose said that she and Emmett would be there in a half hour. They had just had talk Emmett's parents into letting him because ge was grounded for the entirety of his three day suspension. Jazz told his boss that he had an emergency at home and had to leave early. And since Jasper Whitlock had never missed a day of work in the time he'd been working there, his boss didn't have a problem with it.

Forty five minutes later, the four of us and Billy were still waiting for news of Jacob. When Doctor Erikson finally came out, I clung to Jasper's hand waiting for the worst.

"Jacob's going to be just fine." he stated once he was within five feet of us. "He has a broken nose and a fractured wrist, along with some cuts and bruises. It appears as though his head was slammed into the ground a few times but there's no permanent damage. I'd like to keep him over night, just to be sure but after that he can go home. Considering the nature of the situation, the police are going to have to questioned him. "

"Of course." Billy replied. "Is he awake?"

"Yes but he's a little bit odd because of the pain medication." Dr. Erikson replied.

"Can we see him?" Emmett asked.

"We'll normally we'd only allow family in but seeing how close the four of you are to him, I'll make an exception."

"Thank you." Billy stated like he considered us Jacob's brothers and sisters anyway.

We then followed Dr. Erikson down the hall toward Jacob's room.

**EDWARD**

The abandoned cabin in the woods was such a perfect idea. I couldn't believe we hadn't thought about before our trip to get Bella. How many times in the last three years had we dreamed of kidnapping and taking a girl there to do whatever we wanted to. We even had all the stuff bought and the whole thing planned out. All we lacked was the perfect victim. Which was hard to find.

I mean this wasn't the ideal thing for me to do to get Bella back. I would've much rathered just talked it out but she had to be difficult and I had to do what I had to do to get her back. I just hoped she'd understand that I was only doing this because I loved her.

I looked back at her reflection in the review mirror. She looked absolutely terrified with tears streaming down her cheeks. I had to admit, the sadistic side of me who had planned a kidnapping with James so long ago, liked seeing all that fear in one person. A woman in particuliar. It was quite arousing. I couldn't help but smirk at the thought. Soon enough, I'd get the one thing that I wanted most from Bella. And then she'd see how much I loved her.

After forty five minutes of driving, I pulled into a small drive in front of the entrance to the woods on the outskirts of La Push.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked and I was happy to hear the fear in her voice.

"There's a little cabin in the middle of the woods that only James and I know about. We're taking you there for awhile so that you and I can deal with our problems." I stated in a sicjeningly sweet voice.

"We don't have any problems to deal with." she replied in a valiant attempt to hide her fear. "It's over. End of story."

"Keep telling yourself that, love." I replied with a smirk.

"Don't call me love." she replied.

I ignored her and spoke to James,

"I'm going to get the stuff out of the trunk. Do you want me to get you a roll of duct tape?"

"Yes, we don't wanna take any chances." he replied.

I got out of the car and headed to the trunk. We had three bags of food, supplies, and clothes. Like I said, we had this planned for awhile now and were just waiting for the perfect victim. I knew our motives with Bella weren't the same as our intial motives but this would still be fun. I reached into the first bag and pulled out a roll of duct tape, then handed it to James through the passenger side window. I then went back to the trunk and pulled out all three bags.

**BELLA **

I waited in horror as Edward walked around to the back of the car and got into the trunk. It took a minute before he found the duct tape and tossed it through the passenger window to James.

"Face the door." James ordered in the same dangerous tone he used when he had the knife to my throat. Terrified of what would happen if I didn't, I obeyed. He grabbed my arms, roughly, and taped them tightly together behind my back. Then he forced me to turn back to him and ripped off another piece of tape. "Just to make sure you don't open your big mouth." He stated then covered my mouth with the tape. "Now, don't move until I come to get you." He ordered before sliding out.

I sat there paralyzed with fear as I waited for James to come over and open the door. What were they planning on doing to me? Some of the worst thoughts imaginable ran through my head in the thirty seconds it took James to get to my door. He opened it and pulled me out roguhly by the arm.

When I was fully out of the car, I noticed that Edward had removed three bags from the trunk and was trying to figure out a way to carry them. Seeing that they had this planned made it all a little more terrifying. It made the likelihood of my being rescued even lower.

Once Edward had everything stacked in his arms, we were ready to go. James dragged me uncerimoniously through the woods, not caring if I got hurt or not. Branches cut through my clothes and across my skin. I surpressed my whimpers of pain after awhile because James simply ignored them and continued to pull me along. I fell in a whole and twisted my ankle at one point, but James just kept dragging me anyway.

Thirty long and tortureous minutes later, we were standing outside an old abandoned cabin. Some of the windows had been knocked out and the door was hanging off of its hinges. James dragged me into the house and I found that this wasn't the first time the had been here.

The place was furnished, not lavishly but the boys were comfortable. There was a couple armchairs and a loveseat. A small wooden table stood in the middle of what I looked to be kitchen and the wooden chairs were scattered about. The cupboards in the kitchen, who's doors had fallen off, looked pretty full of quick snacks and what not. Great, I was trapped and I had no idea how long I was going to be made to stay here.

Before I could ponder my fate too much, Edward threw the bags down and took me from James. He dragged me to a smaller room off the hall with one wooden chair in it. He shoved me into it then took the duct tape and taped my midsection to the chair. Now, my hands were being pressed between my back and the back of the chair and I couldn't move anywhere.

"Now," Edward said once he finishd taping me to the chair. "I'd like you to be able to talk so I'll remove the tape as long as you promise not to scream. If you do, I'd have to hurt you and that's not something I want to do. So if I take off the tape, are you going to scream?" I shook my head. "Good." With that he ripped the tape off of my mouth.

It hurt so bad coming off that I wanted to scream but I resisted the urge. When the pain subsided, I decided now was the best time to ask the one question I wanted an answer to,

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because Bella, I love you and I know that you still love me." he asnwered in a sympathetic tone. "And unfortunately, this is the only way to get you to see that."

I couldn't believe he thought that I still loved him after all of this. Was he really that stupid?

"I don't love you anymore Edward." I stated. "Get that through your head!"

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he said in a tone of a father trying to reason with a five year old. "Feelings like the ones we have for each other don't just go away."

"Yes, they do and they have." I replied.

"You're just saying that because you're mad at me. Once you've been here for a few weeks, I'm sure you'll think differently."

"I doubt that. You're nothing but a sick bastard who had everything handed to him and can't deal with not getting everything he wants. I don't know how I ever liked you in the first place."

"See, this is why you needed me to bring you here." Edward reasoned. "We haven't even been apart for forty eight hours and your friends are already poisoning you against me. Being here without them will help you see that you do still love me."

"No, Edward, I love Jacob!" I yelled.

"No, Jacob is a pathetic excuse for a man." Edward replied. "You were just using him to try and forget about me."

"Jacob is ten times the man you'll ever be!" I yelled.

This earned me a slap across the face. The force was so much that the chair was nearly knocked over.

"Bella, please, I don't like hurting you." he said. "And I wouldn't have to if you just said the words that I wanted to hear and did the things that I ask of you."

I let out a mock chuckle.

"You beat Jacob to a bloody pulp then you kidnap me and hold me here against my will. Now, you expect me to do and say what you want me to. I don't fucking think so." I said.

This statement was met with another slap across the other cheek. Once again, the chair almost toppled over.

"Watch your mouth!" Edward growled at me.

"Go to hell!" I yelled then spat in his face.

Edward chuckled humorlessly and wiped the spit on his shirt. He then grabbed me by the hair and yanked back forcing me to look at him.

"Listen carefully, love." He said dangerously. "You may not like me right now but you will respect me. And if you don't, your life with me is going to be very difficult. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I whimpered in pain.

"Yes, what?" He asked gripping my hair tighter and pulling back harder.

"Yes, sir." I choked out tears prickling my vision.

"That's better." he stated and released my hair. "But I think maybe a few days without food or water will be an appropriate punishment for your disrespect."

With that, he walked out the door, slamming it behind him, and left me to ponder all the terrible things he could possibly do to me.

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed. Please review. **


	24. More Plans and an Escape Attempt

**A/N: I know that Edward told Bella that nobody else knew about the cabin. However, there is in fact one other person that knows about it. He actually tried to convince a certain someone to go with him a couple of times. He just doesn't think that she paid much attention to it. **

**ALICE **

Billy, who knew that Bella was be the most important topic to Jacob once we got in the room, waited outside for us to finish that part of it. Then he'd come in and see his son. I was very grateful to him for giving us that first few minutes together.

Rose, Em, Jazz, and I walked in the room with a certain trepidition. We weren't sure about what we would see when we got in. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He looked ten times better than he did when I found him on the lawn. Unfortunately, he still looked worse for the wear.

He had a split lip and a black eye. His nose was swelled and he had several bandage covered cuts on his face. His arm was in a splint and the parts that weren't covered in guaze were covered were covered in dark, deep bruises. His fae was full of nothing but pain and worry. Dr. Erikson said the drugs would make him kind of odd but he looked one hundred sober at the moment.

"Alice, I'm so sorry!" He exploded the minute we stepped into the room. "I don't know what happened. I heard voices so I went out there. I tried to defend her but one minute I was next to her the next I was on the ground being pummelled. I don't know what happened, he just snapped."

"Jacob, stop!" I held my hand up preventing his flow of guilt. "I know you tried. You couldn't help what happened. You had no idea that he was going to snap the way he did."

"So is Bella alright? Where's she?" He asked once he was sure that I wasn't going to yell at him.

"I don't know." I replied looking guiltily at the floor. Jasper put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Jacob asked getting a little worked up.

"I don't know if she's alright or even where she is." I stated.

"No, don't tell me that." Jacob stated.

I could tell from the way that he was acting that he had finally confessed his true feelings to Bella. And she reciprocated them.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." I said more guiltily still. "I tried to get over there as fast as I could but by the time I did, all I found was you unconcious on the lawn. And Bella was gone. I tried to call her cell but I didn't get an answer. I'm so sorry."

"No, Alice." Jacob stated. "It's not your fault. I just I'm so worried and I don't know what to do. Does Charlie know?"

"I understand." I replied. "And yes, Charlie knows. Ed called him with the basics and I filled him in on the rest when he came home. He's already calling all of his friend to be on the look out for him and start questioning people that we think have something to do with it."

"So what are we gonna do?" he pressed. "Just let them handle it?"

"Hell no!" I said. "I mean I love Charlie and all but the whole having to go by the book thing will take forever. God only knows what he could do to her by the time they figure it out. Besides, I may not know where he took her but Edward's my stepbrother, after all, and I know more about him than even he thinks I do. I just need a little time to think. In the meantime, Jake, I need to know everything that you remember about what happened when Edward got there."

"Well, I can't remember too many details." he answered. "When I first stepped out there, I noticed James get out of the car. It looked as though he was there for back up."

"Are you sure that it was James?"

"Positive. Edward was trying to strangle Bella. When I tried to stop him, he hit me and Bella begged him to leave me alone. I couldn't remember much of the rest of the conversation but I promised her that I protect her and when I reminded her of that, Eward just snapped. He threw me on the ground and started to hit me over and over. I remember hearing Bella begging for him to stop. He just kept pushing her away from him. James just stood there at first but at some point I heard Bella yelling for him to let her go. Then everything faded to black. And I can't remember anything that happened between then and twenty minutes ago."

"Okay, so we're pretty sure that they did take her but the question is where?" I stated once Jacob had finished the story.

We were all silent for a long time. We were all racking our brains of all the possibilities of where they could've taken Bella.

"What about Ed's apartment?" Rosalie suggested after a minute.

"No. I don't think so." I answered. "Too many people know about it. He'd know that be one of the first places that we would look. He'd want to go somewhere only he and James would know about. I just wish I had a better idea of where that was."

"Maybe there might be someone else who would be able to give us a better idea?" Emmett suggested. "Maybe we could go and talk to them?"

We fell silent, once again, racking our brains to try to come up with something. There were two people that came to my mind but neither would be willing to help us. Even in this life or death situation.

"There's really only two people I can think of at the moment." I stated. "And I don't think that either of them will be willing to tell us what we need to hear."

"Well, who are there?" Jazz asked placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Victoria and Jessica." I said.

"Those two, that's not going to be a problem at all." Rose stated. "Emmett and I will talk to Victoria. I do, after all, have a natural talent for getting information out of people who are unwilling to give it." She put on a cocky little smile as she said this.

I had indeed forgotten that she had the ability to do just that. She also had a knack for getting people to see her when they didn't want to. So the problem with Victoria was taken care of but that still left the Jessica issue. She hated Bella and I doubted she would be willing to give me information that could potentially help Bella.

"Okay, that's taken care of but what about Jessica. There's absolutely no way she's going to tell us anything that would help Bella. She hates her. There's no way." I started to panic again.

"Alice, calm down." Rose said. "You three where once like sisters and, putting all dislike of each other aside, that has to still mean something to her. You just have to remind her of that. She has to know that Bella's life is at stake. And I know that even with the new hate, she's not going to want to see Bella dead. It doesn't run that deep for her. The feelings of sisterlyness are still there and she just needs someone to remind her of the good old days, and once you've done that, she'll tell you what she knows."

"Are you sure?" I asked not too sure myself.

"There's only one way to find out." Rose smiled. "You go see Jessica and talk to her about it. While Emmett and I go to Victoria. Then will meet up at Jasper's apartment, in two hours and talk about what we've found out, then come up with a plan."

"Right." I said still unsure about the whole talking to Jessica thing. I really didn't think that she would ever open up to us again.

"Okay but what am I supposed to do?" Jacob asked.

I looked at him glad to have something else to think about other than talking to my ex best friend.

"You are going to stay here over night so Dr. Erikson can make sure that everything is okay." I answered.

"Hell no." he said. "I'm not going to lay here while she could be in danger! I want to help find her!"

"I know, but think about Jacob." I argued. "What if you left tonight and there was something wrong, then we went out looking for her and you got hurt because of what was wrong? How is that going to help Bella?"

"I know but I have to do something!" he argued.

"Look, just stay here and let the doctor do his job." I stated. "We won't do anything excpet plan until you get released tomorrow. Until we're sure that you're alright. We can't afford to have something happen ton you too."

"Fine." He replied but crossed his arms over his chest like it was against his better judgement.

"Well, let's go." I said leading the others out of the room. As we passed by Billy, I stopped, "He's going to try and convince you to let him leave so he can go after Edward. Don't let him until the doctor clears him."

"Of course not." Billy replied.

With that the four of us headed out the door to dig up some dirt on how to save our best friend.

**BELLA **

I sat in the pitch black room trying no to think about what was going to happen to me. Instead, I started to focus on escaping. I was grateful that I gotten a little chilly in my room with Jacob earlier. He gave me his oversized jacket, which I was still wearing when James taped my arms together. All I had to do was try to wriggle out of it.

It took awhile but I finally managed to get one hand free. After that it was pretty easy to pull my other hand out of the jacket. After that it was all a matter of finding the beginning of the teeth around my midsection. I had to do it slowly so as not to make too much noise but I was finally able to climb out of the chair.

In the pitch black room, I had to crawl to find a wall. When I did, I climbed into a standing up position and felt along the wall until I reached a door handle. Now, I wasn't stupid enough to try to get out without knowing what was going on out there. So I leaned closer to the door and listened for a minute. I heard the sounds of mumbled talking, bags opening, and bottles being opened.

It was definitely not a good idea to go out there at the moment. So I felt my wall to the side of the door with the hinges on them and slid down to the floor on that side of the door. I was either going to wait until one of them came in for me or until they were asleep.

I sat there for an interminable amount of time, ocassionally leaning over and checking for the sounds. Their talking eventually turned into drunken slurs and I kept waiting for them to come in and try to play with me. I was shocked when I never did.

I waited until I heard nothing but snores for three consecutive times before I tried to leave. I stood slowly, trembling a little from fear. I reached for the doorknob, slowly, turning it and praying that it didn't make a sound. It didn't so I proceeded to push the door open. I thought it was going to creak but it didn't, either. Maybe, luck was on my side tonight. I opened it just enough for myself to slip through it, then I closed it as quietly as I could.

I crept up the hallway and into the living part of the cabin. The floor was littered with beer bottles and tons of garbag from the food that they had eaten. James was fast asleep on the couch while Edward was sleeping on the chair. I crept slowly up through the room praying the floor didn't creek. And still I thought the luck was on my side.

When I was five feet from the door, it happened. I stepped on a rotted floor board, my foot fell through and got stuck. Thankfully, the two were too passed out drunk to have heard the breaking floor board. I yanked a couple of times but it wouldn't budge. I ended up having to lean on the table beside me.

There were some books and beer bottles laying on it. I carefully, leaned over it to try to pull my foot out as quietly as I could. It took a few minutes but I managed to pull myself free of it. However, luck abandoned me at this point.

I pulled out too hard and over balanced on my other foot. The next few seconds went by in slow motion. I knocked the bottles and books off of the table. The books made a loud resounding thud and the bottles crashed into tiny pieces. I fell sideways into the table and bounced off falling onto the floor. I let out an involuntary scream as the pieces of glass cut and stabbed into my back and my head hit the floor last with a dull and painful thud.

When it was all over, I found myself staring into the livid faces of the still half drunk Edward and James.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know that the jacket thing was a little weird but I did try it and it does work. Anyway, I was really excited about this one. I hope you like it too. **


	25. No Longer Enemies

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I was having a little trouble rearranging my thoughts on this one. However, I think that I have figured it out. Also, I got a little ahead in Bella's time, however, I caught the others up so now, they are on the same time line. I hope you all enjoy. **

**ALICE**

The drive to Jessica's house was tense and silent. I had way too much to think about to talk. I didn't have any idea what I was going to say to Jessica. Plus, I had only been to her new house a few times before our falling out. And it's been over a year since the last time. So I couldn't remember exactly where I was going, that made things ten times more frustrating for me.

Jasper who understood what I was going through, just sat silent behind me. He held my hand tightly. Which was his way of silently telling me that everything was going to be okay. I could only hope.

We were driving for a half hour before we finally made it to the little blue house a mile or so away from the others. It was a small two bedroom, one bath, with a living room and a kitchen.

Jessica and her mom weren't as well off as Jessica liked to dress and act. In fact, they were just getting by. Jessica's father was a dead beat, like mine. I supposed that's what drew us together in the first place. Her mother, Kathy, raised her, alone, from the time she was a month old until she was fifteen.

That was about the time, Dr. Micheal Goldstein came to Forks. He was a very sought after therapist. However, he tired of big cities and wanted a change in atmosphere. Which was why he moved to Forks in the first place.

Kathy and Dr. Goldstein fell in love and dated for a two years. Dr. Goldstein proposed to Kathy a week after Jessica's seventeenth birhtday. Kathy, of course, accepted and they were married and very happy.

Jessica and Kathy lived the good life - a penthouse apartment, platinum credit cards, etc. - for eleven months and twenty seven days. That was about the time Dr. Goldstein decided he wanted a divorce because he couldn't get over some of Kathy's past mistakes. Well, due to a technicality in the prenup, Kathy and Jessica were left with nothing except the things they had already bought.

Kathy, the amazing woman that she was, didn't let that get her down. She had kept her orginal job as a secretary for a low budget law firm in Port Angeles as well as got a waitressing job for the weekends.

Kathy bought the house six months after the divorce and I have never seen anyone take more pride in their home than she does. She planted a beautiful garden in the front of it and a vegtable garden in the back. Plus, the three or four times, I had been there, I noticed that it was one of the cleanest houses I've ever seen.

I pulled to the curb and took a deep breath before we got out. We approached the house and I still had no idea how I was going to approach her about this. Jasper grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as we approached the door. I knocked twice.

"Just a minute!" I heard Jessica yell.

Less than a minute later, Jessica opened the door. Her eyes got wide with surprise once she realized it was us. I also saw a little sadness and regret flicker through them as we stared at each other for a moment.

"What do you want?" she asked trying, unsucessufully to sound like our visit didn't effect her.

"We need to talk." I stated.

"What about?" she asked.

"Bella." I answered.

"What about her?" she asked.

She tried to sound like she didn't care but I could hear a little sadness and regret in her voice. Was she feeling remorse for what she did to Bella?

"She's gone." I stated. "Edward and James kidnapped her."

"Are you sure?" Jessica asked as her eyes got wide with fear, shock, and worry.

"Why the fuck would I lie about something like this?" I asked getting defense.

"I know, it's just I didn't think that Edward would do something like this." she replied. "I mean, I know that he's an asshole and all..."

For some reason that statement pissed me off. If she thought that Edward was an asshole then why the hell did she screw him for God only knows how long?

"And when did you figure that out?" I cut her off. "Before or after you slept with him while he was dating your ex best friend?!"

I felt Jasper hand wrap around my wrist in a warning. I knew that I was ruining the chance I had to get a straight answer from her but I still wasn't over how badly she hurt Bella.

"Actually, I figured it out while I was sleeping with him." she replied looking like she was about to cry.

"So you continued to sleep with him even though you knew he was an asshole, where's the sense in that?!"

"Alice," Jasper stated calmly, "This isn't what we came to talk to her about. "

I took a deep breath and counted to ten. I had to remind myself that this wasn't about Bella's happiness. We could deal with that later. This was about her life and that had to be the focus.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." I stated. "Can we come in so we can talk about the real issue?"

Jessica stood aside and gestured for us to come in. She still looked like she was going to cry. I found myself wondering what was up with her new attitude. She led us to her bedroom which was off of the living room.

There was a queen sized canopy bed that took up most of the room. Her small closet was full of brand name clothes. The bed and clothes were the final remnants of the life that she so desperatelty wanted to have stayed apart of. Next to the bed, there was a small desk and chair set and small chest was at the foot of the bed.

Jessica pulled the desk chair out for Jasper then sat on the bed and gestured for me to join her.

"So what happened?" she asked.

"Well, after Bella caught the two of you together, she broke up with Edward. And he has a thing about losing things that he thinks belong to him. Bella being one of those things. A bunch of shit has happened since but the reader's digest version is this, James and Edward showed up at Bella's,Edward beat the shit out of Jacob, and they took Bella somewhere." I explained.

"And you don't know where?" she asked.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Jasper stated.

"Why would you think that I could tell you?" she replied confused. "You don't think that I had anything to do with it, do you?"

The tone of her voice made me ask,

"Well, do you?"

"Hell, no!" she replied. "I mean yes, I was pissed at her for being the one to finally snag Edward but I would never do something like that to her. I don't hate her that much. Besides, I already got my revenge." she shrugged.

I wondered what she meant by already getting her revenge because the thing that came to mind was just a little crazy and unbelieveable.

"What do you mean you already got your revenge?" I asked. "You didn't sleep with him to get back at her, did you?"

She shrugged and looked at the bed.

"I wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me. I wanted her to see the thing she wanted most ripped away from her. The way it felt like she ripped Edward away from me at the time. I thought I would be satisfied to see the look of pure emotional agony on her face. To show her how it felt for me, you know? However, it turned out that I was more satisfied about revealing Edward for the two faced bastard that he was. I didn't realize until I saw the look on her face that as much as I hated losing Edward to her, I hated hurting her more."

I couldn't believe this. Rosalie had been right about the whole thing. The sisterly feeling toward Bella was already trumping the hate and that was before she heard about Bella's life being in danger. She was regretting her actions because she'd hurt someone she cared deeply about. I wasn't sure what to say to that to I simply continued with the issue at hand,

"So you really have no idea where she is?"

"I'm sorry, I wish I did." she said.

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she really didn't. I could also tell that she was thinking as hard as she could trying to figure out something.

"Wait a minute." she said after some thought. "There's an abandoned cabin just outside of La Push. He might've taken her there."

"But why?" Jazz asked just as confused as I was.

With all the money he had a his fingertips, why would he have gone to an abandoned cabin? It didn't make sense. Jessica took and deep breath and looked back to the bed, ashamed.

"Edward is very sadistic. He gets off on bondage and all things connected with hurting woman. We were such a good pair because I got off on the things he would do to me. We loved to role play like he was raping me all the time." she continued to stare at the bed in shame. "Anway, there were a few times in the past when he talked about this cabin that only he and James knew about. He told me that it would be really fun if I let him blindfold me and take me there for a few days. He said we could pretend that he had kidnapped me to make me his sex toy. I refused because I didn't trust him enough to go to a cabinm that no one else knew about, alone with him. He gave up after awhile. However, I'm willing to bet anything that they took her there because he thinks they're the only two who know about it."

"Do you know where it is?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, no, all he would tell me is it was just outside La Push." she answered.

"La Push?" Jasper asked. "Hey, Jacob might now about it!"

"What time is it?" I asked liking his idea.

"Nine thirty." He answered.

"Visiting hours are over at ten. Do you think we can make it back to the hospital?" I asked.

"If we leave now."

"Perfect." I turned back to Jessica. "Thank you so much, Jessie. You have know idea how much this helped."

"I hope you find her." she whispered. "And I'm sorry for what I did, I thought I wanted to hurt her."

"I'm not the one who deserves the apology." I stated and she looked back at the bed. "However, you did make up for it a little just now."

I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze,. I don't think we quite made it back to sisterly embrace yet, but at least we weren't enemies anymore.

Five minutes later, Jasper and I were back in the car and headed to the hospital. As I drove one hundred miles an hour, Jasper called Rosalie and told her we got something out of Jessica. He told her to meet us at the hospital so we could talk about it.

We got to the hospital at a quarter to ten. Rosalie and Emmett were waiting in the room when we got there. From the looks of things, Billy had gone home for the night. That was fien with us. We could talk without being overheard.

"Rosalie said that Jessica told you she might have an idea where they are." Jacob stated the minute we walked into the room.

"Well, hello to you too." I replied sarcasitcally as I went to sit on the foot of his bed. "But yes, she told us about a place they might be."

"Well..." Jacob pressed.

"There's an abandoned cabin somewhere outside La Push that Edward thinks only he and James know about. Due to his sexually history with her, Jessica believes that he took Bella there because it's like a fantasy of hi or something."

"Okay, well, does she know where, exactly?" Emmett asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Jasper sighed. "She just knows that it's in the woods just outside of La Push. We were hoping that you knew what she was talking about Jake."

"I don't think so." Jacob answered but I could tell he was thinking hard. "Wait, does she mean the old ranger cabin?"

"No idea." I stated. "But if that's the best we have to go by right now, then we should go for it."

"I agree with Bella." Rosalie stated. "I mean how many abandoned cabins can there be in those woods?"

"She's right." Jasper stated. "It's the best chance we have."

"Okay, so what do we do about it?" Jacob asked. "Should we call Charlie and let the police take care of it?"

"No." I stated. "With all the prep they'll have to do, it'll be another whole day before they can set out. If we went alone, we could leave as soon as you got discharged."

"Good, because I wasn't going to accept that answer." Jacob stated. "We can handle those assholes."

"All the same, I think it would be a good idea to tell Charlie before we head out, just in case we need back up." Emmett suggested.

"Right." I stated. "We'll call just before we head into the woods. Now, we have a rescue to plan."

We spent the next couple hours planning mission: Saving Bella. We talked about it until a quarter to one when one of the nurses finally realized we weren't supposed to be there.

**BELLA**

I looked up at both men standing over me looking furious. I was absolutely terrified. What were they going to do to me? I tried to slide away from them on the floor. However, that just made the cuts from the glass worse. Edward smirked and placed his foot on my chest adding slight pleasure. The glass stabbed and cut deeper into my back, causing me to cringe.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

'Nowhere." I choked out through the pain.

"Good." he replied and added a little more pressure.

"How far did you think that you would get?" James asked sounding slightly amused. "You're in a cabin in the middle of the woods. And you don't even know exactly where. We would've found you before you got out, even with a few hours headstart."

His words were dead on the mark. I hated to admit to myself but I didn't have any sense of direction and it didn't help that I had no clue where I was.

The stinging pain in my back caused me to cringe again. Edward smirked and applied more pressure.

"Does that hurt?" he asked with mock sympathy.

I didn't say anything so he applied more pressure. Pain shot through the wounded parts of my back, some bigger some smaller, as the glass dung deeper into me. I cringed again but Edward continued with the pressure.

"Well, does it?" he asked again.

"Yes." I cried through the pain.

"Good." he replied and took his foot off of my chest. "Now, get up!"

I did what he said. It was a slow and painful process. The bits of glass embedded in my back stung as I moved. I felt blood trickling slowly down my back. Once I was standing, Edward grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the couch. He then shoved me, face first, onto it. Once I was down, he ripped my shirt at one of the holes made by the glass.

"James, there a first aid kit in one of the bags." he stated. "Can you get it. Along with a couple sets of handcuffs?"

"Sure." James replied.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

Then I felt a bugger chunk of glass part, not too gently, with my back. Pain seared through the wound as he removed the glass. He continued the painful process.

"I'm getting this glass out of your back and then cleaning you up." He growled. "I don't want anything to get infected and endanger your health."

James had come back witht he first aid kit. I started feeling the cold metal of a pair of tweezers. I guessed he was working on the smaller bits. They were as painful as the big bits. I was pretty sure that Edward was going out of his way to make it hurt.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled as I heard him put the tweezers away.

"I was thinking about getting away from you two sick fucks." I replied.

He punched me in the back then and I screamed in pain. Not only had his fist connected with my spine but it also landed on one of my open cuts and the sweat from his had stung.

"Watch your mouth, bitch!" He yelled.

A minute later, I felt him start to rub soem kind of ointment over my back. It stung but was very soothing at the same time. He, then tape some gauze to the deeper cuts and took extra pieces to wipe of any blood that had trickled down my back.

When he was finshed, he flipped me over on the couch so that I was facing him. I was shaking as I saw the anger in his eyes. I knew I was in for it.

"You're lucky." he whispered. "I'm too tired to punish you tonight. But when I'm through with you tomorrow, you'll wish you had escaped." The threat sent a shiver up and down my spine as he yanked me off of the couch by my hair. "Now, since you can't be trusted to be alone and restrained in the least painful way, I'm going to have to get nasty."

He dragged me to the kitchen sink. The door to the cupboard under the sink had fallen off and there was an exposed pipe. He sat me down with me back to the pipe, as James handed him the handcuffs.

Edward clipped one side of the cuffs tightly to my left wrist, then looped it around the pipe that was behind me, and clipped it just as tightly to my other wrist. He then used the other pair on my feet.

Finally, he and James moved the couch to block the door.

"There," Edward said. "Now even if you do get out of those, you won't be able to get out the door."

He laughed then went back to his chair. James curled up on the couch again with a huge smirk. They were both out again within minutes.

And I was left alone to wonder if there was any way out.

**A/N: Well what do think? I know the Bella/Edward part wasn't impressive but I don't want think to get too big yet. Please, review. **


	26. The Rescue Plan

**ALICE **

After the nirse finally kicked us out, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I reconvened at Jasper's apartment to fine tune the plans and make a list of the things we would need. It was a hard plan to make because we all knew that planning would only get us so far. We could have the best plan in the world only to have it smashed to bits the minute we reached the cabin. We had no idea what we would find when we got there. At one point, we'd ju8st have to let luck and instinct take over.

We ended up crashing in Jasper's living room around three o'clock in the morning. We were up at nine thirty the next morning, though.

Jasper dug up a box of donuts and made some cofee for us. However, we were all too nervous about what was going to happen to eat. And after a half hour of just staring at the food, we decided to just get started on our preparations.

First got everything we needed from Jasper's place then we got into Rosalie's BMW and headed to get the rest of the stuff. Since, we had no idea what kind of weapons we would be up against, we just used whatever we could find. Thankfully, both Emmett and Jasper had access to a gun and both had took lessons on how to use it.

Emmett had simply because his father decided it would be a great way to bond with his, then, sixteen years old son. And Jasper did it for his protection as well as mine. He was terrified that his father was going to change his mind about letting him go. Jasper wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be able to.

As for Rosalie and I who have never in our lives fired a gun, nor did we ever want to, we chose weapons that would injure but not kill. I picked up a crow bare from Ed'd workshop and Rosalie grabbed an old metal pipe from one of her dad's plumbing projects.

We also grabbed some rope, to restrain the boys, if nessecary, and we stopped at Bella's to get her some extra clothes. We weren't sure if she was going to need them or not, but we wanted to be on the safe side.

Emmett's house was our last stop for the morning. We were going to take his Jeep, and it would've been weird if Rosalie's car was parked outside the hospital but she wasn't visiting anyone. This way, it looks like Rose drove her car to Emmett's but he took her somewhere in his Jeep. Not weird at all.

It was around noon by the time we made it back to the hospital. Jacob was sitting on his bed not touching his chef salad and looking like he hadn't slept all night. I noticed Billy wasn't there and figured he was probably in the cafteria getting his own lunch.

"So did you get everything we need? Are you ready?" Jacob asked the minute we sat down on either side of him.

I was way too nervous for sarcasm so I simply answered,

"Yes, we have everything. We just need to wait for you to get discharged."

We went over the plan a couple more times before Billy came back. After that, we talked about whether or not we thought the police would find Bella and worried about what was happening to her.

I had a feeling Billy saw right through the act. He kept giving us strange looks the longer more we talked. Finally, at a quarter til two, Dr. Erikson came in and discharged Jacob after giving him the whole don't overexert yourself lecture.

Billy insisted that Jacob go home with him. It was something that we expected and accepted. It wasn't like La Push was way out of our way anyway. The cabin was right outside their backdoor anyway.

We said goodbye to Jacob and wished him our best then pretended like we were going home. Instead, we drove to the place where we were going to meet Jacob.

We didn't know how long it would take him to sneak away from Billy so we got out of the Jeep and began getting ourselves armed. Emmett, being the strongest of all of us, picked up the bag of rope and extra clothes that we had packed and put it on his back. Once we finished, I pulled out my phone to make the call that I had been dreading.

We had agreed that it would be best to call Charlie and tell him about this. We didn't know what to expect when we got there. We might have needed back up or help if someone got hurt. However, we shouldn't decided not to do it until we were too far in for them to stop us. I dialed the number of the police station slowly and pressed send.

"Forks, Washing Police Station. Chief Swan speaking. How may I help you?" Charlie answered after the first ring.

"Hello, Chief Swan." I said. "It's Alice."

"Hi, Alice. What's going on?" he asked.

"We think we know where James and Edward took Bella." I answered.

"Where?" he questioned.

"The old ranger's station/cabin thingy just out side of La Push. You should get a team together and get them there as soon as possible."

"Alice, where are you guys right now?"

"I can't tell you that, sir." I bit my lip and looked at the ground.

He let out a long and deep sigh.

"I want you, all of you, to go home right now." he stated.

"No, sir." I responded.

"As the Chief of Police, I am ordering you guys to go home, now."

"We can't do that, sir. I'm sorry. Just get a team to the cabin as soon as possible, please."

"Alice..."

I sighed and flipped the phone shut before he could give me a lecture. I turned it off, knowing that he would keep calling and trying to talk us out of it.

"So?" Jasper asked when I shoved the phone back in my pocket.

"He knows what were trying to do and he order us to go home. I have a feeling he's going to call our parents and I don't think it's going to be too pretty when we get done." I explained. "So if anyone wants to back out now, theb rest of us will understand."

"No way." Rosalie stated, "Bella is a friend and sister to us. We'd do anything for her. Besides, we know that if the roles were reversed, she'd be doing the same thing for us."

"Yeah, we're not going anywhere." Emmett added. Jasper nodded his agreement.

We only had to wait another couple of minutes before Jacob came running out of the woods across from where we would be going in. I could see the handle of his weapon of chouce, a hunting knife, sticking out of his pocket.

"Are we ready?" Jacob asked once he caught up to us.

"Nope, but let's do it anyway." I answered. _(A/N: A special snippet of my next chapter to anyone who can tell me what show __**and**__episode that line can from. As well as who said it.) _

"Then let's go." Jacob replied and started walking into the woods.

The four of us followed him, armed but not complete prepared for what we'd find an hour later.

**BELLA **

I slept on and off for the rest of the night and the first part of the day. It was hard to get and stay comfortable in my position, handcuffed with my back to the sink. However, I did the best I could. When I wasn't sleeping, I thought about new escape plans, so I wouldn't be able to focus on what my punishment would be for my last attempt. However, everyone of plans involved outside help, so I was screwed no matter what.

James and Edward didn't wake up until around two thirty that afternoon. When the did, they completely ignored me. Edward got into one of the bags and pulled out a box of donuts and a couple bottles of water for their breakfast. They sat direct;y in my line of sight as they ate.

They talked in whispers so low that I couldn't hear a thing that they said. Occassionally, one of them would look over at me with a sick, twisted smirk on their face. My stomach churned everytime they did that.

Finally, after nearly an hour of being up, Edward walked over a knelt next to me.

"It's time for your punishment, love." he whispered and traced my jawline with his finger. I turned my head towards his finger and snapped my teeth at it. He backhanded me. The force knocked my sideways. I would've hit the floor but the cuffs, still linked to the pipe, pulled me back. They dug deeper into my flesh causing me to cry out in pain. Edward laughed then said, "You're stuck here with me until I get sick of you love. So you should just accept that and get over it. It will be alot less painful for you, in the long run."

I simply glared at him. He smirked and pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the cuffs around my feet then looked me directly in the face.

"I'm going to release your hands." he growled. "Don't do anything stupid or this will be ten times worse for you. Something that I really don't want to see happen."

I nodded as I continued to glare. Once he unlocked both of my wirsts, he yanked me off the floor by the left one, not even given my time to check the damage. Even though, I was terrified of him, I wasn't going to lay down and let him hurt me.

Halfway across the kitchen, I stopped and yanked my wrist away from him. I don't think that he expected me to be that brave because it was just too easy for me to pull away. He whirled around looking angry but I was ready for his reaction. I already had my fist raised to punch him. However, he was just a little quirker than me.

Edward grabbed the wrist of the hand I was going to punch with and twisted it. He twisted it until I was turned around with my back pressed against his chest. The pain shooting up and down my arm as well as the stinging of the covered wounds from last night pressing against his chest caused me to cringe.

"You brought this upon yourself, you know." He whispered right next to my ear. "If you would just learn to listen, I wouldn't have to hurt you."

"That may be true," I replied, "But what kind of woman would I be if I laid down like a dog and did everything you said?"

He didn't repsond but I felt him smirk into my neck as he planted a trail of kisses down my neck. The kisses sent shivers up and down my spine, and not the good kind either. He then forced me to walk into the living area of the cabin.

"James, can you get into the bags and get me the rest of the duct tape, please?" Edward asked.

"Sure." James replied and disappeared into another room.

Edward shoved me to the floor and began trying to undress me. I struggled against him but he managed to straddle me and pin both my hands in one of his above my head. I continued to buck my hips trying to knock him off.

He took his free hand and began massaging my left breast painfully through my bra. I let out a fear whimpers of fear and pain.

"Don't worry, love." he whispered, "You're gonna love this."

I immediately shut down and stopped fighting after those words. I knew what he was going to do and there was going to be nothing I could do to stop it. In that moment, I finally realized how my mom felt when she realized what those men were going to do to her. It was pure terror to know that you were going to be violated in the worst possible way.

The fear froze me and I found myself no longer able to fight. What was the point? He was just going to get what he wanted in the end. Giving in would just make it easier on me. Images of my mom floated through my head. She had given in to her rapists because she had no other choice and that didn't make her any less of a woman.

_"Only because she did it to save you." _A small voice in my head reminded me. _"You can't let her sacrifice be in vain. Fight the fight that she couldn't. Fight for her the way she fought for you." _

It was that voice that brought me out of my stupor. I had to fight because she couldn't. By the time I came out of it, I was completely naked and duct taped, spread eagle, to the floor. I struggled against the tape but Edward had put on so many layers of it on that I couldn't budge it.

James stood above me with a twisted and amused smirk on his face. Edward was standing, straddling my midsection and undoing his belt.

"I finally going to get what I want from you. And I promise by the time I'm finished you'll see how much you love me." He stated. His words made me want to vomit. How could he possibly think that doing this to me would make me see that I loved him? The only thing he was going to succeed in doing was make me hate him more. "Now, we're going to start with something easier, something you've done before, only this time, you had better not stop." He dropped his pants and moved up my body until his dick was dangling above my face. "Open wide, love."

He started to lower himself onto my face. I clamped my mouth shut and turned my headed away his he continued to lower himself. He grabbed my face in both hands and forced me to look back at him. He was practically sitting on my face by now. I kept my mouth clamped shut, but he placed the head of his cock on them and tried to push himself in. I tried to keep my mouth closed but he was pushing so hard. I didn't think I was going to be able to fight it much longer.

Just when I was about to give of the fight, because I couldn't take the pressure any longer, the sound of a shattering window rent the air, followed by the whoosh of air and a blurred figure over my head, and suddenly, Edward was no longer on top of me.

**A/N: What do you guys think? I know many of you didn't want to see Bella raped, so I settled for this instead. I hope you enjoy. Please review. I live for your compliments, criticisms and even flames. They can only make me stronger. Can't wait to hear what you've got to say. BTW: I'm so excited because I've actually mapped out an entire scene for my novel, dialogue and all. It's my first one so far. I'm excited. **


	27. The Rescue

**A/N: First, I want to apologize for the long wait for this one. It was a complicated one for me to rearrange in my head. I think I've figured it out, though. Second, I apologize for any confusion this may cause. It is going to be jumping around in the P.O.V.'s very quickly. Also, there will be some parts from the P.O.V. of someone watching and listening. It was just easier that way for the parts that click really fast than to keep switching P.O.V's. Anyway, I hope it doesn't get too confusing. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I hope I succeeded. **

**OUTSIDER **

The original plan when they reached the cabin, was for Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Jacob to get a look into the cabin, just to see what was going on. Then Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and Jacob would go in while Jasper waited just inside the trees for Bella to come out. He would then get her to safety. You know what the say about the best laid plans, though right?

The minute Jacob saw Edward standing over a taped down, naked and helpless Bella, trying to force himself into her mouth, he lost it. Jacob ran at the window and jumped right through it. He had gained enough momentum to actually knock Edward off of Bella.

Edward was taken by surprise and wasn't prepared to defend himself when Jacob started pummeling him. He didn't stay that way for long, though. He managed to flip Jacob over less than a minute after the fight started and began pummelling him, instead.

Meanwhile, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie had run in behind Jacob. Emmett went for James the minute he noticed James trying to get in the fight with Jacob. Once again, James was caught by surprise and Emmett got a few good hits in but it didn't last. James managed to get the better of him in the end.

Neither Jacob or Emmett had taken out there weapon. They had both hoped not to have to use them. Unfortunately, it was a mistake they both soon regretted.

Alice and Rosalie went straight to Bella and began trying to pull off the many layers of tape at her wrists and ankles.

**BELLA **

I was so confused by what just happened. One minute, Edward was on top of me trying to shove himself into my mouth. And the next, he was on the ground several feet away with Jacob on top of him and Rosalie and Alice where by my side trying ro untape me.

It took them several long minutes to get me completely untaped. Several minutes where all I could hear was the sounds of grunts and cries of pain as well as the sound of skin hitting skin.

When they were finally finished, I sat up to check on what was happening, but before I could see anything, Alice tossed me a pile of clothes.

"Put those on quick!" she yelled. "Then get out that window. Walk to the trees and wait for us!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" I yelled back as I pulled on the sweat pants and hoodie. "You guys need me to be here! I won't let you get hurt because of me!"

"Yes, you will because if you don't leave now, I will drag you out by your hair. Jacob would never forgive me if I let you stay!" sghe responded.

"And I'll never forgive you if you make me go!" I replied.

If we weren't so involved in trying to make the other see our side, we would've noticed that the sounds of fighting had died down around us. However, since there was still a struggle going on, we didn't pay any attention.

"Then that's a chance that I'll have to take!" Alice answered. "Now, GO!"

She used that assertive motherly tone that said you were in trouble if you didn't do what she said. I knew there was no winning after that so I scrambled to the window, not even noticing the silence that was behind me.

"Freeze!" I heard Edward's velvety voice yell. The tone scared the hell out of me and caused me to freeze on the stop. "You aren't going anywhere, love. Now, turn around."

I spun slowly on the stop and was terrified by what I saw. Edward and James, though bruised and bloody were standing over Jacob and Emmett, who were also bruised and bloody, looking triumphant.

Edward had his foot pressed against Jacob throat. I got one glimpse of Jacob and knew that he was struggling to breathe. I also, noticed that Edward held what looked to be Jacob's hunting knife in his hand. He looked like he was ready to use it at a second's notice.

James was next to them standing over Emmett. He had his foot on Emmett's chest and was pointing a gun at him. I had a funny feeling that it was Emmett's gun, though I had no idea how James got it in the scuffle.

"Edward, please, don't hurt them." I begged. I hated doing it but if it saved my friends, I do anything.

"If all three of you do what I say, then I won't have to." Edward replied. "Now, you two," He looked to Alice and Rosalie, "Put your weapons down." Rosalie dropped the metal pipe that she was holding, immediately. Alice hesitated for a second then threw down her crowbar. "Good. Now, all three of you, have a seat on the couch. But Bella, bring me the duct tape first."

I did what he said, more out of fear for my friends than for myself. He took the tape and I went over to the couch. He taped Jacob's arms and feet together than handed the tape to James so he could do the same to Emmett. When James finished, they dragged the boys and laid them next to the couch.

"Now, Bella, love come here." Edward said with a twisted smile. "You're going to help me with something."

I stood on shaking knees and walked toward him. I kept my face blank and tried not to look scared. I had to do everything I could to keep him from hurting my friends. When I reached him, he grabbed me by my hair, spun my around and pulled my head back only to place the knife at my throat.

"Now, Alice, I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer, because if I even think you're lying to me, then I'll slit her throat." Edward said in an evil voice. I gulped. "Where's your boy toy?"

**ALICE **

I gulped. I knew I had to keep my face blank and lie my ass off. Edward couldn't find out that Jasper was outside. He was our last hope. However, I had to make sure that Edward believed me bacause I knew he'd kill Bella if he thought he had to.

I took a deep breath to answer as I noticed Rose move slightly and her cell phone was suddenly flipped open and in her hand behind her back. I wondered what she was doing as I answered Edward's question.

"He's not here." I stated.

"Somehow, I don't believe you." Edward replied and Bella let out a whimper as he pressed the blade closer to her neck.

"Please, Edward," I implored. "He's really not here. He thought it was too dangerous. He said we should just leave it to the police, not matter how long it took them to get here. He tried to convince me not to come but I had to do it for Bella."

He examined me for a moment as if he thought that I was lying then he turned to face Jacob.

**BELLA**

Edward pressed the blade closer to my throat as he turned from Alice to Jacob. I could feel a few beads of blood dripping from my neck as I stood there.

"Is that true, Jacob?" Edward asked him.

"Yes." Jacob answered. Something told me that they were all lying. "He didn't want any of us to come. He said he was going to call Chief Swan and our parents. He said he was going to tell them what we were doing."

I noticed that somewhere in all of this, Edward had managed to put his jeans back on, but I could feel the beginnings of an erection poking through them into my tailbone. I was disgusted to find that he was turned on by my fear and pain. As well as, everyone else's. However, the thought gave me a sudden idea.

"Well, looks like you should've listened to Jasper. He was very smart to not come." Edwad taunted. "And even if he does call Chief Swan and your parents, it won't matter, because by the time they get here, you'll all be dead and we'll be long gone."

"NO!" I cried out trying to sound as scared and vulnerable as possible. I think I even managed some tears along the way. I felt him grow a little harder with that one exclamation. "Please, don't hurt them!"

I hated begging because it gave him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to me. However, it was necessary for my plan to succeed. The more I whimpered and played it up the harder he got. I slowly moved my foot into a different postion.

"And what would you be willing to do for me, if I let them live, love?" he whispered.

"I'll give you what you want and stay with you forever." I replied.

"No, Bella don't!" Jacob yelled.

"Shut up!" Edward growled at him. "Besides, she's going to stay with me forever, regardless, so the only thing worth fighting over now, is who Bella's going to watch die first."

"How about you!" I yelled before bringing my foot up and ramming it into his fully erect cock.

He dropped the knife, released me, and fell to the floor grabbing himself. My knees were shaking so bad that I fell forward.

**OUTSIDER **

At the exact same moment, Bella attacked Edward, a gun shot, followed by the tinkling of more glass and James's cry of pain was heard by all.

Bella looked to James. The bullet was lodged in his hand and the gun he had been holding was now on the floor. She turned her attention to the window and saw Jasper standing there, pointing a gun in the direction of James. She then looked at the couch to make sure that Alice and Rosalie were okay. However, they weren't there anymore.

The minute the gunshot sounded, they had both leapt off of the couch. Alice went straight to the gun that James had dropped and was no pointing it at him. He looked like he was going to piss his pants and was standing as still as possible.

Rosalie had run over to the boys and began untying them and making sure that they were alright.

Meanwhile, Bella noticed the abandoned knife lying a few feet from her and dove for it. She hesitated a second too long and Edward dove for it at the same time. Edward knocked her out of the way with his shoulder. She fell back to the ground and hit her head.

"If I can't have you then no one will." Edward growled as he scooped up the knife and crawled to her ready to strike.

Bella, still dazed from hitting her head, wasn't able to move and she braced herself for death. However, it never came. Instead, she heard Jacob yell her name followed by a groan of pain and another gunshot. Suddenly, Jacob was lying on top of her bleeding heavily from the stomach.

She pushed him off of her and flipped him over. She looked up long enough to see that Jasper had shot Edward in the leg and was now stroding over to him.

Meanwhile, Alice, Rosalie, and the newly freed Emmett had subdued James and were now taping his hands and feet togehter. Jasper grabbed Edward by the wrist and dragged him over to the others. The taped his hands and feet as well, then taped the two boys together.

Bella, however, saw none of this. She only had eyes for Jacob, who was now lying unconcious next to her.

**BELLA **

"No, no, no, no, no, Jacob." I cried crawling over to him. There was already a large puddle of blood next to him. "Don't leave me, please. I still need you."

I pulled of my hoodie, not caring that I didn't have anything underneath it, I pressed it tightly to his stomach, in hopes of stopping the bleeding. All I could do after that was lay across him and cry, begging him not to leave me.

**ALICE**

Once we finished with the boys, I looked up to see what had become of the others and what I saw broke my heart. A shirtless Bella was lying on top of a pale, unconcious Jacob, who had a small puddle of blood next to him, crying. She had the hoodie pressed to his stomach wound and was begging him not to leave her.

"Rosalie, call Chief Swan," I said, "Tell him to get here as soon as possible. Jacob's hurt and needs help."

She nodded and opened her phone as I walked over to see what I could do for him.

Thankfully, the minute that I told Charlie that we weren't going home, he got his team together and set out right away. They were only about five minutes away when Rosalie called him.

**OUTSIDER **

Charlie arrested James and Edward for kidnapping and had them dragged back through the woods, still tied together. The officers who took them out were told not to worry about their comfort.

Charlie berated the kids for pulling a stunt like that. He, then thanked them for saving her from what those sick bastards planned on doing

Jacob had to be air lifted out and flown to Forks Memorial Hospital. He was immediately sent for surgery and a blood transfusion. Bella insisted on flying with him. She refused to leave his side until Charlie made her let a doctor check her out. The doctor cleaned and bandaged her cuts properly then gave her a clear bill of health.

And that's how an hour and a half after her rescue, Bella, her friends, and family were sitting in the hospital, playing the waiting game, wondering if they'd ever see Jacob again.

**A/N: I hope you liked. Also, I've been trying to figure out a way to get you guys to understand me and my writing style a little better. You know, just to make it easier for you to understand why I write certain things. So, we're going to play a little game with this chapter. Whoever can correctly guess what Rosalie was doing with her cell phone behind her back, will be allowed to ask one question about my writing style and/or why I wrote a certain story or chapter or character. Nothing is off limits. Get creative. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please, review. **


	28. The Waiting Game

**A/N: Sorry this one took so long to get out. I've been working on my novel and my Bella/Jasper story. I had sudden inspiration for both and White Horse got pushed to the back burner. However, I'm back and I hope this was worth waiting for. **

**BELLA **

I paced the waiting room of Forks Memorial Hospital. It had been two hours since Jacob had been taken for sugery and we had yet to find out anything.

Charlie had convinced me to get the cuts on my back, wrists, and ankles checked out. The doctor deemed them nothing serious and simply cleaned and properly bandaged them. They were still very tender to the touch and stung when I turned or moved a caertain way. The ones on my ankles were throbbing as I paced. I had to force myself not to limp. I didn't want the others to think that there was anything wrong.

I was completely and utterly exhausted from everything that happened in the last seventy two hours. Not to mention the fact that I had been running on almost zero sleep in those seventy two hours. Needless to say, my body was yelling at me to sit and rest for a little while but my mind wouldn't allow it.

I was way too worried about Jacob to do anything but pace. There were way too many possibilities of what could be happening in that room. Too many to even begin to expalin. However, all of the worst scenerios were running through my head. Worst of all, whatever was happening with him, was all my fault.

If he hadn't felt the need to run in and save me, just like my true night on a white horse, he'd be just fine. It would've been my life that everyone was worried about. I could've handled that, because the whole Edward thing was my fault anyway. I deserved something bad to happen for putting my friends in that kind of danger. Jacob didn't, though. He was just trying to help me.

Charlie, Billy, Rose, Jazz, Em, and Alice were sitting on the benches and chairs whispering to each other. Usually, I'd be outraged that they were leaving me out, however, today I was too nervous to really care what they had to say. All I cared about was finding out what was going on with Jacob.

"Bella," Jasper stood and walked over to me, "We were talking and we think that it might be good if Rose, Al, Em, and I took you back to my place for a shower, some food, and rest."

I could tell that he was worried about upsetting me by the cation in his tone.

"It's okay." I answered, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Rose stated also rising. "Bella, you look deader than a vampire _(A/N: Couldn't resist.)_. You at least need some sleep."

"I'm alright." I repeated. "Besides, I won't be able to sleep until I know exactly what's going on with Jacob."

"Which is why Billy and your dad are staying here." Rose replied. "They'll call us when they find out something."

"No, I need to be here when he comes out and wakes up." I explained.

"Bells," Charlie stood, walked to me and took both of my hands in his, "You aren't going to do him any favors by ignoring your health. You've been through so much in the past couple of days and are exhausted. If you force your body to stay, you'll be passed out before he wakes up. Jake's not going to want you to make yourself sick over what happened to him. Go back to Jasper's, get cleaned up, change your clothes, eat something and rest. He'll feel better when he wakes up if he sees you're alright."

I thought about what Charlie had said. I knew that I needed a shower and not just because I still felt Edward's hands all over me. I was covered in dirt, and sweat from the walk to the cabin and from being thrown around it. Plus, I was still in the sweat pants that Alice had brought and an oversized T-shirt that the hospital staff had lying around. I had absolutely no undergarments on. And, after everything I had just been through, that made me feel extremely exposed. Even though, I wasn't hungry at all, I hadn't had food in nearly twenty four hours and was going to need some kind of sustuence soon or I'd be passed out on the floor. As for rest, like I said before, my body long for it but my mind wouldn't allow it.

Still, with all of that, I felt like I should stay at the hospital and wait. I owed Jacob that and so much more. He saved my life and I had to repay him somehow.

I was about to reject the offer again until I looked into Charlie's eyes. They were silently pleading me to go and take care of myself. I could see all of his worry and fear about my health at the moment and he wanted to make sure that I was taken care of. It was that look that finally swayed me. He was my dad, after all, and he was already worried about Jacob, the least I could do was give him one less person to worry about.

"Okay," I sighed, "But you have to promise me that you'll call the minute you find out something."

"We will." he stated then gingerly embraced me trying to avoid hitting the cuts on my back. "I love you, Bells. I'm so glad that you're safe."

"I love you too, dad." I replied hugging him back.

We stayed in that position for a few seconds. When we pulled apart, Alice was there to steer me down the hall and out to Emmett's jeep.

The ride to Jasper's apartment was silent. Emmett drove while Rosalie sat beside him, holding his hand. Jasper, Alice, and I sat in the back. Alice was on one side of me with her arm around my shoulders while Jasper was on my other side. He had his hand on my thigh and was rubbing comforting circles with his thumb. I laid my head on Alice's shoulder and let a fear tears fall as memories of Jacob flowed through my mind.

When we got to Jasper's apartment, Alice led me straight to the bathroom, while Jasper ordered some pizza. Alice took great care in washing my back for me. She was careful not to hit the bandages or any sore spots that didn't require bandaging.

Once she finished that, she helped my wash the rest of my body, avoiding the cuts on my wrists and ankles as well as any bruises that I may have aquired over the last couple days. Then she washed my hair for me.

When we finished she gave me a decent pair of PJ's. The pants were a light pink with little red hearts all over them, while the shirt was long sleeved and a solid dark pink. She also gave me a pair of underwear that she swore was just bleached and washed the day before. I put them on without compliant, just glad to put something retristing on. Once I was dressed, Alice french braided my hair, so I wouldn't have to worry about it later.

The pizza was there by the time we finished. Due to my worry over Jacob, I didn't have much of an appetite. However, I forced myself to eat two pieces of it. I knew my body needed it and my friends wouldn't leave me alone unless I ate a little bit. I knew that didn't expect me to eat my usual four slices, so two was sufficient.

We ate in silence as I stared off into space. I tried to imagine what my life would be like without Jacob, which was utterly impossible. We had been best friends since before we even knew our own names. There wasn't a day in my life when I hadn't seen him. Whether it was for five minutes or five hours. He was just always there. I couldn't ever imagine it if he wasn't there. Life would just stop for me, especially now after discovering my true feelings for him.

I didn't want him to die before we had a chance to be in love with each other. I wanted to share with him. Things that I wouldn't even share with Edward. What if Jacob died before I had a chance to share those things? It was hard to even consider. However, I knew it was a major possibility.

"Bella," Rosalie voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Are you alright? You were out of it for a minute there."

"No, I'm not alright." I answered tears starting to form. "I'm trying to imagine my life without Jacob and I just can't. He was my first friend and has been there for me through literally everything. If I lose him, I don't know what I'll do."

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I felt them slide down my cheeks as I let out a small sob. Rose wrapped her arms around me and pulled me to her chest.

"Oh honey, you can't think about that." she cooed. "We don't even know if that's a possibility, yet. You've gotta assume that no news is good news. It'll make things easier to deal with, okay. Besides, I don't think that he's going to die. It would be pretty stupid of him to do go and do something like that when someone like you is waiting for him."

I appreciated her words but they didn't help. She didn't understand what was really bothering me. I had to tell them.

"But Rose, if he does die, it'll be my fault." I sobbed.

"How do you figure that?" she asked pulling me away from her.

"Because, he got hurt trying to save me. If he hadn't done that, then I'd be where he is and he'd be just fine." I explained.

"But he would much rather be where he is now than have you there." she replied matter-of-factly, "Besides, if any of us is to blame for what happened, it's us. We're the ones who went to save you, even though we knew one of us could get hurt. We went when Charlie told us not to. And we screwed up and got caught. It was our fault. You were just the victim that we were trying to save."

"You don't get it." I stated trying to hold in my frustration. "If I had just did and said what Edward wanted me to, there would've been no reason for you guys to have to rescue me. Which meant there would've been no screw up and Jacob wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Tears continued to slide down my face as I let out all of my frustrations.

"No, Bella, don't even go there." Alice stated sounding just as frustrated. "If you had did and said what Edward wanted you to, he would've known he could scare you into doing what he wanted. He'd use that advantadge to get everything from sex to marriage out of you. And once you married him, he start doing God only knows what to you and you'd never see Jacob, Charlie, or the rest of us again. As for Jacob, yeah, he might not have gotten hurt but he would've spent the rest of his life wondering what was happening to you. He would spend everyday worrying about whether your dead or alive. Mostly though, he'd spend the rest of his life wondering what would have happened if he had done something to save you from Edward. I'm sure he prefers it this way."

He words were true, but I wasn't ready to admit that to anyone, yet.

"That's all good and well, Alice, but it happened like this and not like that and Jacob's been hurt because of my decision. How the hell am I suppose to deal with that?" I yelled.

"By realizing that it wasn't just your decision that got Jacob where he is. Edward chose to take you and when he realized that his plan failed, he decided to try to end your life. Jacob chose not to let that happened. He threw himself between you and Edward and his knife because he loved you. He chose to save you." Emmett stated there was a fierceness to his voice. It was like he was willing me to understand. "Jacob's where he wants to be because that means you're safe. That's the only thing that matters to him. Your safety. So yes, you may have chose to defy Edward and that led gave Edward and Jacob their choices. But it the end, they were responsible for their own decisions when it came down to it. It isn't your fault because you couldn't have stopped either of the from those decisions at that moment. Do you understand?"

I actually did. It came down to what everyone wanted. Edward wanted me to die but Jacob didn't and they chose their paths accordingly. I couldn't have stopped it, no matter what I did. I had to accept that if I was ever going to get over what happened.

"Yes." I finally said.

"Good." he replied.

We were silent for a few minutes as we all got lost in our own thoughts about everything.

"You should get some sleep, Bella." Jasper said after a minute. "You can use my bed. I'll just sleep on the couch."

"It's okay." I answered, "I'm too worried about Jacob to sleep."

"I know, but you should just try." Jasper said. "It'll do you some good."

"I can't." I replied.

"Please just try." Jasper asked. "It'll make us feel better."

I looked into his concerned and caring eyes. I knew, as annoying as he was, that he was just trying to help. They all were. They wanted me to take care of myself since it was the only thing I could really do for Jacob. Humoring them was the least I could do to repay them for everything they had done for me.

"Alright." I replied. "I'll try."

I stood up and went into Jasper room. I curled up under the blankets and laid on my side. I knew it was a lost cause but I stayed there anyway. All I could think about was the worst possible things that could be wrong with Jacob. I couldn't help but shed a few tears as the thought of life without him kept cropping into my mind.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and I looked up to find Alice and the others walking in.

"We thought you might need some company." Alice said as she walked over to the bed.

She sat crossed-legged at the top and pulled my head into her lap. She smoothed the hair on my head soothingly. Rose laid down behind me and started rubbing comforting circles onto my back. Jazz laid down in front of me with his head at Alice's knee, he grasped my hand tightly in his and held on. Emmett sat at the foot of the bed and placed a comforting hand on my calf, squeezing it gently.

I appreciated all of their love and support as we sat/laid there. I couldn't ask for a better support system as I waited to find out what would happen with my life. I couldn't help but continues to cry, though. Not only for Jacob but for everything that had happened in the past few days.

We were still sitting like that, a half hour later when Alice's cell started to ring.

**A/N: HaHa!!! Cliffie! I wasn't gonna stop there but the MTV Movie Awards are about to start and I have to watch them because of twilight. I'm so excited. **


	29. Father and Daughter

**ALICE **

I shifted Bella's head slightly so that I could pull my phone out of my pocket. I was so anxious about Jacob's condition, that I didn't even bother checking the ID before flipping the phone open.

"Hello." I stated.

"Hi, Alice, it's Charlie."

"Charlie, hi." I answered. "What's up?"

"Well, they just brought him out of surgery. Dr. Erikson is talking to Billy about the technicalities of it all, but it was successful and they expect a full recovery." Charlie explained.

"Oh, thank God." I breathed. "How's he doing right now?"

"Well, he's sleeping off the anesthetic and has several different kinds of pain meds in him at the moment. However, Dr. Erikson expects that he'll be awake by tomorrow afternoon. He says you can all come up and see him then." he answered.

"Excellent." I replied.

"But I want all of you to go home before you come here. Your parents are probably worried sick about all of you. And I know that you, your mom, and Ed have a lot to discuss."

"Right."

"Also, I'm going to have one of my guys at the hospital tomorrow. I need a statement about everything that's happened in the last seventy two hours from each of you."

"Of course."

"I wish I didn't have to ask Bella to talk so soon, but it's for the best."

"She knows that."

"How is she doing?"

"Better now that she's knows he's going to be alright."

"Good. Can you tell her that I love her?"

"Of course. And Charlie, I'm really sorry for not listening to you. All of this could've been avoided if we had just listened to you."

"Don't apologize. You guys were just doing what you had to do to help your friend. If it was me, I probably would've done the same thing. Now, I want all of you to get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Bye."

I flipped the phone shut with a sigh. Everyone's eyes were on me. I knew that they had heard enough of the conversation to know that Jake was okay. However, I knew none of them would dare believe it until I said it outloud.

"He's going to be fine." I stated. Everyone let out a long and relieved sighed. Bella burst into tears of relief as I continued explaining, "He's sleeping off the anestetic and should be awake by tomorrow afternoon. We'll go see him then. However, Charlie would like us to go home first. Our parents are probably worried sick. We should let them confirm that we are safe and unharmed. Besides, we could all do with a shower and change of clothes."

Which was true. None of us had thought to bring extra clothes for after the rescue. We were all still in our black sweats from that morning. Not to mention how bad we smelled in them.

"She's right." Rose stated. "We all look horrible. And we all smell like shit."

Everyone laughed.

"We should probably get some sleep." I stated. "It was a long day, and tomorrow's going to be just as long. We have to talk to the cops while were at the hospital."

"Fantastic." Bella muttered.

"It'll be alright." I promised. "Now, sleep, everyone."

Jasper's bed was small and not made for five people. Especially when one of those people was Emmett, yet somehow, we mananged to wriggle and snuggle into a semi comfortable position. It took a couple hours, but we all eventually fell asleep in a tangle of limbs.

We woke up around nine o'clock the next morning. Jasper made everyone bacon and eggs for breakfast. Which we all ate very slowly, wanting to prolong going to see our parents. I especailly wasn't ready to go talk to Ed and my mom.

I mean, I knew that Ed accepted me as his, but I wasn't sure exactly how far that went. It's not like he told me he loved me every day or even hugged me. I always figured, he accepted and took care of me because I was his wife's daughter. Not because he loved me. What if he loved Edward more than me?

I really couldn't hold it against if he did. Edward was his blood, after all. And I had aided ijn getting Edward put in jail. Not to mention that I had every intention of testifying and making sure that he got put in prison for as long as possible. What if Ed decided that he couldn't take care of a daughter whon was doing that to his son? I mean blood is blood, regardless of the situation. There really wasn't any reason that I could think of that would make Ed want to choose me over Edward. I'm wasn't even his real daughter.

I supposed that I could handle it if Ed decided that he couldn't take care of me anymore. If he kicked me out and cut me off, I'd just move in with Jasper and use my savings to pay my way. I'd get a second job if I had to. It wouldn't be too bad for us because we had each other.

The person I was worried about was my mother. She'd most likely back me up in my endeavor. What if Ed decided that he didn't want to be with her anymore because of that? She'd be left with nothing again. She have to work two jobs and I'd hardly ever see her like I did when I was growing up. I didn't think I could do with that again.

I decided that if Ed wanted me to go, I'd do it without complaint, as long as he allowed my mom to stay. She didn't deserve to suffer over this. It wasn't her fight. It was mine. I needed to defend my friend. She, however, didn't need to defend her daughter. I could do that enough for the both of us. She needed to stay with the person who could take care of her.

Jasper, who could always sense how I felt, washed, dried, and put away all the dishes. He also, too along shower, as well as made his getting dressed last lonager. All to prolong the time before we had to leave to see the parents.

He stalled so much, it wasn't until nearly two and half hours after we got up that we left the house. Emmett drove everyone in his jeep and we dropped Bella off first.

Charlie was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she arrived. She got out of the jeep and limped over to him before throwing his arms around him.

The drive to Ed's house was short and silent. I had no idea what would happen when we got in there. And that's what scared me the most. Jasper held me hand tightly, doing his best to comfort me. He promised to go with me for a little morale support. I appreciated that. I think he alone understood what a delicate and scary situation this was for me.

When we pulled into the driveway, I didn't move out of my seat. Jasper squeezed my hand but I still didn't move.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a minute of just sitting there.

"Of course I'm not alright!" I nearly shrieked. "I have to go in there and tell my stepfather that I helped put his son in jail and I'm going to do everything in my power to keep him there. How do you think that's going to go? Not very good. He's probably going to kick me out and maybe ask for a divorce. And I could handle being kicked out but if he divorces my mom...."

"Alice, stop." Jasper stated soothingly. "He won't kick you out. You're his daughter."

"No, Jazz, I'm just his stepdaughter." I whispered trying to fight the tears.

"No, you're his daughter."

"No, I'm not!" The tears were now coming and I couldn't stop them.

"Yes, Alice, you are. I can garuntee you that he doesn't feel any different about you than he does Edward." He took his thumbs and wiped the tears away.

"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"Because I've seen him around you." He answered quietly. "Since, the day you brought me home to meet him, I knew how that he didn't think of you as anything less than his biological daughter. He's just was overprotective and adoring as any father of a teenaged daughter. He even gave me the whole cleaning-this-gun speech the day we met. Remember? And whenever we meet new people, he introduces us as my daughter and her boyfriend. He never favors Edward over you. In fact, I think he tends to take your side more often than Edward's."

"But he's never said that he loved, either." I stated.

"I think he's worried about overstepping his boundaries, but you're never going to find out how he feels if you don't go in there."

"I know." I sighed.

"Come on, I'll be right there the whole time. I promise. And whatever happens, know that I'll always be there." He stated then kissed me gently.

"Okay." I whispered when he broke the kiss. "Let's get this over with."

We crawled out of the jeep and headed to the door as Emmett pulled out of the driveway. Jasper held me hand tightly in his as I pushed the door slowly opened.

The foyer was empty as we walked in. I headed directly to the living room because that's where we usually met for something important. However, that was empty too.

"Mom, Ed." I called as I looked around. "I'm home and I've brought Jasper."

"We're in here, sweetie." my mom voice came from the direction of the dining room.

I pulled Jasper in that direction. Sure enough, both she and Ed were in there. Ed was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. His body shook like he might have been crying a little. Things were defiinitely messed up if Ed was crying. I didn't think the man even had tear ducts. My mom was standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder.

The minute she saw me, however, she left his side to wrap her arms around me. I hugged her back.

"Oh Alice, I'm so glad that you're alright." she cried then smacked my shoulder when we pulled apart. "Don't you ever do something like that again! Do you hear me? You should've just let Cheif Swan and his men handle it. You didn't need to go risk your life!"

"I know mom," I stated rubbing my stinging shoulder. "And I'm sorry. I know what we did was stupid, but if we had let them handle it, who knows how long it would've taken them to get to her. I know if we had waited, they wouldn't have gotten there in time to stop him from raping her. We just barely got there in enough time."

"He tried to rape her?" Ed growled from the table.

I knew it wasn't a question so as much as shock, but I answered the question nonetheless.

"Yes." I stated. "But we got there before he could do anymore than get her clothes off."

"Damn him!" Ed yelled and stood slamming his fists on the table.

In that moment, he looked so much like Edward in one of his rages that I was very frightened. Was he going to hurt me like Edward so often had? I squeaked and jumped behind Jasper for protection. Ed stared at me for a moment in shock then he took a few deep breaths to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry, Alice, dear, I didn't mean to scare." he stated. "I just can't believe that Edward would take things this far. I mean, I know he has problems, but I would've never guessed that he would go this far with anything."

"I'm sorry." I whispered from behind Jasper, "I'm sorry that it came to this. And I'm sorry that I've got to be involved in the whole ordeal."

"No, Alice." he replied, "Don't be sorry about that. None of this is your fault. Edward made his decisions, even if they were the wrong ones. There's nothing I can do to change what he's done or make him into a better person than he's become. He now has to suffer for the wrong decisions that he's made. However, you made the right decision in helping your friend. You did want you had to do to save her and you will continue to try to keep him in jail and away from her. That's the right thing for you to do and I couldn't ask for anything less of you. Edward has to pay the consquences of his decisions and if you have to be involved with that, then so be it."

"Thank you." I stated with a smile. "I really needed to hear that."

"I know." he replied. "And I know there's something else that you need to hear from me right now too. Alice, you are the daughter that I've always wanted and I love you very much. As much as I love Edward, in fact. You are a beautiful, intelligent, funny, brave and well mannered young lady and a truly great friend. You're passionate about everything you do and very compassionate, even to those who don't deserve compassion. I am very proud to call you my daughter. The fact that we aren't blood doesn't even matter. You're mine and always will be. I love you now and will still love you, when all of this with Edward is over, as much, if not more. You mean so much to me. And I know I don't tell you that enough. I jut worry that you might not feel the same."

His speech brought tears to my eyes. I just stared at him for the longest time. The truth was, I had been waiting a good two and a half years to hear him say those words. None of his action ever matter to me because I didn't think they came with any sincere emotions. Now, that I knew they did, my heart was so full of nothing but love for the man in front of me.

I didn't trust my voice to say anything, so I just moved from behind Jasper, and threw my arms around her.

"I love you too, dad." I whispered through my tears.

He pulled away from me and stared at me in utter shock. It was the first time that I ever called him dad. I figured it caught him off guard. His face broke into a smile as he pulled me close again. We held on for another moment before he pulled me away again.

"Now," he said. "I believe that there is a brave young man lying in the hospital, waiting for his friends to visit. Why don't you grab a shower, change and go see him."

"Thank you." I said again with a smile as I dragged Jasper up the stairs.

"See, I told you, you were his daughter." he said teasingly.

"Oh shut up!" I told him with the same teasing tone. I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Make yourself comfortable. I won't be too long."

I grabbed my shower stuff out of it's caddy in my dresser drawer and headed to the bathroom feeling so much better about my relationship with my stepdad.

**A/N: I'm not sure why I wrote this chapter. ** **I think I just needed to give you guys a better understanding of Ed's side of the whole thing. I don't know, though. The muses told me to and I have no choice but to listen to them. Anyway, what do you think? **


	30. Reunions

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. My muses went on a temporary vacation and I've been having some stomach problems that prevented me from sitting on the comp and typing. Anyway, I'm back now and better than ever. This chapter is once again dedicated to my girl BGirlAngelSpike. She didn't ask for anything special but I thought that she deserved it due to her patience over my choppy ability to go from Edward/Bella to Jacob/Bella as fast as I go from Jacob/Bella to Edward/Bella. Anway, I hope you guys like this one.**

**BELLA **

Charlie was sitting on the porch, waiting for me when Emmett pulled into the driveway. I saw relief wash over his face when he saw me. I briefly wondered if that was how it was going to be from now one. Would he always be afraid to leave me alone or let me go somewhere? Would he spend the whole time away from me worrying about me? Would he be calling every five minutes to make sure that I was alright.

I worried about all of that as I climbed out of the car. Things were so messed up now. We could never have a normal father/daughter relationship anymore. He would be too worried about my well being. This was going to be a huge hump for both of us to get over.

I walked to the porch, limping slightly with every bit of pressure on either ankle. Charlie wrapped his arms around me when I got there. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair.

"I'm so glad you're safe baby girl." he said squeezing a little tighter. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, daddy." I replied understanding his need for this.

I pulled away just slightly to see if my friends had left yet. Thankfully, they had. Charlie and I were rarely ever emotional like this -could you really blame us after everything that happened in the last three days?- but we hated people to see us like that when we were.

He pulled me back briefly and kissed the top of my head.

"Are you hungry?" he asked when I pulled away again.

"No, Jasper fixed all of us breakfast, already." I answered.

"Good, so we can just go inside and talk then." he replied.

I looked down at the porch. I knew that what he meant by talk. He wanted me to tell him everything that had happened between Edward and I in the last three days. That was something that I wasn't ready ton talk about just yet. Especially if I was going to have to give a statement. The memories were too fresh in mind to be able to relive it twice in one day. I would probably have an emotional breakdown.

"Dad, that's not something that I feel ready to talk about at the moment." I stated looking up at him.

"Oh, okay." he stated.

I could see the hurt in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Great, he thought that it was personal.

"It's not you, dad." I stated hurriedly. "It's just going to be hard enough to give the officer my statement. I don't think that I'd be able to get through that meeting if I relived it before then. I'm sorry, maybe, you could stay with me while I talked to the officer. I don't think I could do it alone."

"I understand." He replied. "And seeing as I'm going to be investigating this whole thing, personally, I don't see how my staying with you would be a problem."

"You're the best, dad." I stated throwing my arms around him. "Thank you so much for understanding."

"That's what I'm here for." he replied hugging me back. "Besides, Billy called about fifteen minutes ago, Jacob's been awake for forty five minutes now and all he's been doing is asking for and about you."

I could feel the blush creeping onto my face as I bit my lip and looked at the porch. That was typical Jacob. Always looking out for the ones he loved and never really caring about himself.

"Did something happen that I should know about?" Charlie asked as we headed inside.

"Just before Edward took me, Jacob told me he loved me." I stated. "And since I had finally gotten over thinking Edward was perfect, I realized that I loved him too."

Charlie chuckled and said,

"It's about time."

"What's that suppose to mean?" I questioned as I sat on the armchair in the living room.

"Billy and I both knew that it was only a matter of time before the two of you got together. We could tell how much Jacob loved you and, though, you hid it better, it was still there in the way you smiled and the things you said." Charlie explained.

"I must admit before Edward came along, I was wanting something more from Jake." I replied. "But I was worried that it would screw up our friendship and Edward offered me a way out of those feelings. I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you from the beginning. If I had none of this would've happen."

"Bella, you have nothing to be sorry for. You're at that age where you need to be left to follow your heart and make your own mistakes. Besides, you had no way of knowing that this was coming. Hell, not even I, who never liked him from the beginning, would've never even imagined him to be capable of something like this. So it's natural for someone like you, who was infatuated with him, to fall for his perfect fascade." Charlie responded.

"Yeah, but all of this happened because I was stupid enough to fall for it." I stated.

"No, Bella, you weren't stupid. You thought you were in love and that Edward could do no wrong. It happens all the time with girls your age. While some are more dangerous than others, it's a common happening of teenaged life. But the fact of the matter is, none of this is your fault. Edward's to blame for all of it. His decisions made all of this happen. Not yours."

"But if I had just gotten with Jacob..."

"Bells," Charlie interuptted me. "Honestly, it doesn't matter who did what or how we got here. What matters is that your safe and alive, your friends are unharmed, Jacob's still alive, and Edward and James are in prison for a very long time if I have any say in it."

"I guess you're right." I said with a sigh.

"Good. Now, go get ready to go to the hospital, like I said, Jacob's dieing to see you." Charlie replied and I smiled before heading up the stairs. "By the way," he yelled after me. "Wear clothes that are easy to get on and off, I asked Dr. Erikson to take another look at your cuts, and rebandage them."

"Okay." I replied as I stepped into my room.

I put on my most comforable pair of jeans and a black camisole with a pair of pink flip-flops. I decided it be easiest to just leave my hair in the french braid that Alice had put it in, so I simply hairsprayed it and smoothed down the flyaways.

Once I finished, I headed downstairs where Charlie was sitting on the couch watching baseball.

"Okay, let's go." I stated as I walked out the door.

I heard Charlie chuckle as he stood and followed me out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie and I beat the others to the hospital. Which was something I was very grateful for. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I didn't want them there or anything. They were my friends, after all, and I loved them all very much. However, I just wanted to spend some time alone with Jake before everyone got there. Did that make me selfish?

Billy, whom Charlie had called to tell we were coming, was sitting outside Jacob's room waiting for us. The minute he saw me, he spread his arms open and I bent down to give him a hug.

"Thank God, you're here." He said when I pulled away. "Jacob's been so worried about you. And he wouldn't take my word for it that you were alright."

I was again looked at the ground as the blush crept back into my face. I did, however, notice the significant look that Charlie gave Billy.

"Well," Billy continued, "Why don't you go in and see him? Charlie and I will get a cup of coffee, maybe, even something to eat."

I knew what he was doing and I was grateful for the offer of alone time.

"Just remember Officer Bryant will be in pretty soon to get your statements." Charlie stated.

"I know." I replied as he started to push Billy down the hallway.

I took a deep breath and walked tentatively into Jacob's room. As excited as I was to know that Jacob was alive and as well as he could be, I was a little anxious about what I'd see when I walked into that room.

Jacob had always been my big brother of sorts. In my mind, he was invulnerable and indestructible. Nothing could hurt him because he was my big brother who protected me from everything. The thought of him lying in a hospital bed with a knife wound as a result of him protecting me, was a little much for me to deal with.

When his bed came into view, I noticed that he was lying down with the blankets pulled up to his chin, watching T.V. He was laughing at something that had just happened. He looked pretty good for someone who had just been stabbed. His color was a little off, a result of the blood loss, no doubt, but there was no other indication that he had been hurt.

The excitement at finally seeing that he really was okay overtook any anxiety that I was feeling and I ran directly to him. I threw my arms around him, banging my body against his right side.

"OW! OW! OW!" Jacob cried and flinched away from me.

Shit, I had just run directly into the knife wound. Great, I was already screwing things up more.

"Sorry," I exclaimed releasing him and backing up. "I didn't mean to."

Jacob grabbed my hand and pulled me back to him.

"Don't be sorry." He said, "It was worth it to feel your arms around me again."

I smiled as he lead me around the bed, with his hand and pulled into a lying down position next to him. We were silent for a long time, just staring into each others eyes. Simply, happy to be near each other again.

"So how are you feeling?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Better now that you're here." He answered. "What about you?"

"Better now that I know you really are okay." I answered with a smile.

He laughed a little.

"What about the others?" he asked.

"They're all fine. Just a few cuts and bruises." I answered. "Nothing serious."

"Where are they?"

"They had to go home and see their parents. You know, talk and let them know that everything's okay. And Alice, her mom, and Ed have a lot to talk about now, so it could be awhile."

"That's understandable."

"They should be here later." I stated. "Charie has one of his guys coming to to get our statements later."

"Yeah, that's what Billy said." He replied.

We fell into a comfortable silence as we both thought about what we would said. My mind immediately jumped to the part that invovled my friends. I thought about what happened after their arrival just to be sure none of them had broken the law. I remembered there was hitting and punching but no one used a weapon nor did they intentionally hurt James or Edward. No one, except Jasper. He shot both boys. He didn't kill them but he could still get into a lot of trouble for firing at them.

"Jacob, what are we gonna tell them?" I asked in a near panic.

"The truth. We've did nothing wrong. We were just trying to save you." he replied.

"But Jake, Jasper shot Edward and James. If we tell them that then he'll get in trouble and possibly sent to prison. I don't want that to happen."

"Bells, he's not gonna get into any trouble for what he did. It will fall under defending someone who couldn't defend themself. James had a gun as was more than willing to shoot us, and Edward had a knife to your throat. We couldn't do anything for fear of you getting hurt. Jasper did the only thing he could do. He shot James to get him to drop the gun. Then he shot Edward after he stabbed me. He's not going to jail for that. In fact, they police will probably call him a hero." Jacob stated.

"But what uf they don't. What if they decide that we could've found another way out of it? What if..."

"Bella, stop." Jacob stated and grabbed my face in his hands. "Your father's the chief of police, right?" I nodded. "Which means he's in charge of the whole investigation, right?" I nodded again. "So do you really think that he's going to put Jasper in jail if it was Jasper's actions that saved you?"

"I guess not, but it still worries me." I stated as a few tears fell.

"I know, but everything will be fine." He responded as he wiped away the tears.

I know." I replied.

We fell into another comfortable silence as I snuggled myself closer to his chest. His arms tighten around me. We sat like that for a few minutes before a thought hit me.

"Jacob, why did you do it?" I asked. "Why did you save me?"

It was a stupid question, I know. I already knew the answer, of course, but I just felt like I needed to hear him say it again. I didn't know why. All I knew was that I really needed to hear it from him again. I propped myself on my arm and looked him in the eye.

He was looking at me like I was absolutely crazy. I don't think that he quite believed that I had really asked him that question.

"Did you seriously just ask me that?" he questioned, "I know you know the answer."

"I do." I replied staring at him in earnest. "But I just really need to hear you say it again, after everything that's happened. I just need to hear it again. It'll make me feel so much better.

He grabbed my face in his hands again and looked me directly in the eye.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you with my whole heart and soul. I would do and give anything for you. Even if it was my life. It means nothing to me unless you're there. If you were gone, I would be nothing but an empty shell. I want to love you now and forever. I will never EVER leave you and I will ALWAYS protect you. No matter what it costs me."

His words caused me to shed more tears and he wiped them away, again.

"I love you too, Jake." I whispered.

He then brought his lips crashing down onto mine. It was one of the most fiercely passionate kisses that I had ever shared with anyone. And it was ten times better than anything that I had shared with Edward. This was love and pure bliss and I couldn't get enough of it. The kiss lasted for several moments.

When we finally pulled apart, gasping for air, Jaocob pulled me back to him and I responded by snuggling into his chest. He then kissed the top of my head and rested his chin on it.

We were perfectly content to spend the next hour or so just laying in each other embraces. In fact, we didn't move an inch until our friends showed up nearly two hours later.

**A/N: Did you like? Please, review. **


	31. Statements

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for the delay. My life has been a little crazy lately. I've barely had time to breathe. Anyway, I've been thinking about how to do this chapter for a couples days now. This is where everyone is going to give their statements on what happened over the period of the story. The problem was, you guys have already read most of it and there are just a few wholes left for me to fill in. Anyway, enjoy. **

**BELLA **

We were perfectly content to spend the next hour or so just laying in each other embraces. In fact, we didn't move an inch until our friends showed up nearly two hours later.

When Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie finally showed up. They all looked a little worse for the wear, but extremely happy. I assumed that their parents all had something to say or some kind of punishment for them, however, everything turned out okay for them anyway. I, carefully, crawled off of Jacob to greet them as the enetered the room.

"So how did everything go?" I asked as I hugged each one of them. "How did your parents take it?"

"Well, my mom was pissed that I went, but she understood why I had to do it." Rose answered. "She grounded me for a month, though. Starting when Jacob gets the okay to go home. She knows how important it is for us to be here with him while he's recovering."

"I'm sorry you got grounded." I stated looking at the floor.

"Why? I'm not." Rose answered and I hugged her again.

"My parents went as lenient." Emmett stated. "I was already grounded and I snuck off to do something dangerous. They didn't like that at all, so they added two months to my already three days. The only reason why they let me come here was so I could talk to the cops. I'm to go straight home, once we finish talking to them." I opened my mouth to apologize, but he put his hand over my mouth. "Don't even say it, Bella. It was worth it to know that you're safe, alive, and still a virgin."

I nodded and he removed his hand. I knew better than to try to say it again. If I did, I'd get a visit from the tickle monster and Emmett is relentless when it comes to tickling. I didn't want to risk it, so I turned to Alice instead.

"What about Ed?" I asked her. "Does he completely hate you, now?"

"Actually, no." she replied with smile. "In fact, he told me that he loved like his own. He, even told me that I should do whatever I can to make sure that Edward gets the punishment that he deserves and he'd still love me when it was all over."

"That's great, Alice." I yelled and through my arms around her. "So did you get in trouble or anything?"

"Not yet, but I think mom wanted to wait until I was sure that Jacob was alright before she said anything." she answered. I nodded.

I looked up at Jasper and gave him a sad smile. For a split second, I thought I saw something like resentment flash in his eyes. I couldn't balme him. He was really the only one of us who didn't have a family to care whether or not he came home safe. Hell, if he still had his family, they probably wouldn't have even cared whether or not he came home alive. The look was gone before I had a chance to be sure if it was really there or not. I, however, wrapped my arms around him anyway.

"Thank you." I whispered. "For saving us."

"Yeah, man, thank you." Jacob said from the bed. "Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't been there."

"I think you owe most of the thank you for that to Rose." Jasper shrugged and smiled at Rosalie.

Alice giggled a little. Jacob, Emmett, and I looked at the three of them like they were crazy.

"What's that all about?" Emmett asked.

There was a knock on the door before Alice, Rosalie or Jasper could answer. A second later, the door opened and Charlie and Billy stepped in.

"I hate to break up the reunion," Charlie stated. "But Officier Micheal's is here and we need to get started on your statements." We nodded and murmured in acknowledgement. "Bells, he wants to start with you."

I nodded.

"Can Alice or someone com with me?" I asked unsure of whether or not I could do this by myself.

"Unfortunately, no." Charlie answered. "They don't want anyone to influence you. However, because, I'm the lead the investigation, I'll be there." I nodded, even though, I didn't really want Charlie to hear about anything that had happened. "Dr. Erikson has kindly given us permission to use his office."

"Right." I replied as I move to follow Charlie out.

My friends, however, had to stop me. They all offered hugs and encouraging words. Jacob even made me go back to his bed and offered several kisses with the promise that everything would be alright. I had to admit, after all of that, I felt slightly better as I followed Charlie to Dr. Erikson's office.

When we got there, five minutes later, there was a man sitting behind Dr. Erikson's desk. He was one of Charlie's buddies who watched baseball with him from time to time. Scott Micheals. He was about six foot one and had those gorgeous green eyes that one could just fall into. Usually, I didn't mind looking in them, but today, the reminded me so much of Edward's that I couldn't look at him anymore. A shiver actually went through my spine as I stared at the floor.

"Bells, are you okay?" Charlie asked and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Fine." I said taking a deep breath. "Let's just get this over with."

"Have a seat, please." Officer Micheals stated kindly. I did and Charlie stood behind me. The officer placed a small tape recorder on the desk between us and pressed record. "Okay, Miss Swan, I know this is going to be difficult, but I need you to tell me everything that you remember about that last seventy hours. We've already spoken with Jessica Stanley and she tells us that's about when everything started."

For some reason, hearing Jessica's name pissed me off a little. None of this would've ever happened if she didn't have to prove she could take what's mine (A/N; Remember Bella has yet to find out exactly why Jessica did what she did with Edward). I found myself wishing that I could find a way to make her out to be an accomplice because, as far as I was concerned, she was one just for sleeping with him and causing me to break up with him.

"Did the slut also tell you that she's the one who started the whole thing?" I asked with a slight snap in my voice.

Officer Micheals just sat there calmly for a moment. He didn't call me on my language, so I assumed she had told him that part.

"Yes, Miss Stanley did say that she was sleeping with young Mr. Masen behind your back." he replied.

"Then I guess I'll pick it up from there." I stated.

I launched into the whole story, not leaving anything out. I told him everything that happened from the time Alice told me about Edward and Jessica right down to wear Jasper shot Edward and James and Edward stabbed Jacob.

Despite Jacob's reassurance that Jasper wouldn't get into trouble, I still felt the need to emphasize that Jasper had only shot because he didn't have a choice. I was still extremely worried that he was going to go to prison or get into some kind of trouble for it.

After I told Officer Micheals everything I could, I couldn't help but ask,

"Is Jasper going to go to prison?"

He smiled sympathetically and answered,

"I highly doubt it. From what you said, he your guys' only chance to get out of there unharmed. As long as that holds up, he'll be alright."

"Thank you."

He smiled at me again.

"Now, I have to take a couple pictures of your wounds for evidence." he stated and I nodded. "Cheif Swan, can you go find Dr. Erikson, I want him to remove her bandages properly, then while I'm getting the pictures, can you send in Mr. McCarty?"

"Sure." Charlie replied and exited the room.

Dr. Erikson came back a few minutes later and removed my bandages. Once Officer Micheals had everything he needed, Dr. Erikson, recleaned them and put some more bandages on then it was Emmett's turn.

I sighed, exhausted as I left Dr. Erikson's office.

**EMMETT**

I walked into the doctor's office to see Officer Micheals seated behind the desk. He had a kind and reassuring smile on his face. He gestured for me to sit and I did. Cheif Swan walked in behind me and went to stand in a corner.

"Mr. McCarty," the officer said and pressed record on the tape recorder that was sitting next to us. "Could you please tell me everything you can about the situation between Miss Swan and Mr. Masen?"

"I have to be completely honest, I don't really know too much. I wasn't really involved in anything other than the aftermath of some of the things Edward did." I answered.

"Just tell me what can. Every little bit helps." the officer stated. I nodded.

I explained to him everything that happened from the time Rosalie called me to go to Jasper's on Monday night to our decision to go and rescue Bella. Up until that point, Officer Micheal's had been completely silent and when he finally spoke in was in a curious voice,

"So, you knew Cheif Swan knew what was going on and was investigating what happened. Why did you feel the need to go after her? Why not just leave it to the police?"

I sighed.

"The police had no idea where to start." I stated. "We had a few good ideas. Besides, we knew it would take them a while to get a search party together. We didn't want to risk anything too bad happening to her. As it so happens, by doing what we did, we stopped her from being raped."

"Please continued." he replied obviously satisfied with my answer.

I gave him the rest of the story as I remembered it, then he told me I could go.

"Would you send in Mr. Whitlock?" he asked as I walked out.

**JASPER **

I was extremely nervous when Emmett came back and told me that it was my turn. I knew I shouldn't have been. I would be just fine if I just told the truth. However, the feeling in the pit of my stomach was reminding me that I had shot two people and could potentiall go to jail. That thought scared the shit out of me. I didn't want to go to jail. I couldn't go to jail because I needed to be with and protect Alice.

She gave me a quick, reassuring kiss before I walked out of the room. I was thankful for that but it didn't make me feel much better. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

There was a man sitting behind Dr. Erikson's desk, Officer Micheals, I had a tape recorder sitting on the desk with the microphone facing where i was suppose to sit. Charlie was standing in a corner with his crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. I could feel the anger readiating off of him as he stood there. I could only imagine what he had to be going through. He had to sit there and listen to everyone of our renditions of what had happened to Bella. I was quite surprised that he hadn't taken off to beat the shit out of Edward, already.

"Have a seat." Officer Micheals stated. I did as he said. "Mr. Whitlock, I need to know everything that you do about what happened between Miss Swan and Mr.. Masen, as well as everything that happened when you rescued her."

I nodded and took a deep breath. I explained everything from Monday afternoon when I found Alice asleep in my bed and she told me about Edward's cheating to me getting the phone call at work to tell me that Jacob was in the hospital, right down to my shooting James and Edward.

"Let's talk about that for a moment." Officer spoke for the first time when I got to that part. "Both Mr. McCarty and Miss Swan state that you shot Mr. Masen and his friend, however, they both also state that you weren't in or near enough to the cabin to know what was happening. Would you mind explaining how you managed to know when to shoot and why you thought you needed to?"

I sighed again and answered his question,

"The plan was for me to stay out of the cabin and close to the woods. That way I could intercept Bella when she came out and lead her back to safety." Officer Micheals nodded. "I heard the sounds of fighting but not enough to know what was going on. After about ten minutes, the fighting stopped, but Bella still hadn't come out, yet. I was a little worried but decided to give them another couple of minutes before I went in after them. However, not even a minute after I made my decision, I recieved a text from Rosalie, help in capital letters was all it said. I didn't know what was going on but I did know I was their last hope to get away. I moved closer to the window to see that Rosalie and Alice were sitting on the couch, while James was holding a gun on them. Jacob and Emmett we tied up wiht duct tape and laying on the floor next to the couch. And Edward was holding Bella tightly to him with a knife to her throat. He was trying to get Alice and Jacob to tell him where I was. They told him that I wasn't there. I watched the scene, hesitant about what to do. I knew I only had one shot to surprise them, and I had to make it count. However, with the way the set, there was no way that I was going to be able to shoot one without one of my friends getting hurt. Bella, however, was smart enough to think for herself, she managed to kick him in the balls from her position and I took my shot at James's hand. He immediately released the gun just like Edward had released Bella. The scene continued to play out as I crawled through the window but it was to choastic to follow. The next thing that registered with my brain was Edward going after a slightly dazed Bella with his knife. I took aim at his leg just as Jacob, who had somehow gotten free, jumped in his path. I shot but not in enough time to keep Jacob from getting stabbed."

Officer Micheals nodded and motioned for me to continued. I finished the story and was dimissed and told to send Rose in next.

**ROSALIE **

When Jasper came in and told me it was my turn, I started to panic just a little bit. I wasn't sure if the officer would believe what I had to say or if he would think I was full of shit. Emmett squeezed my hand reassuringly as I walked out of the room. Five minutes later, I walked into Dr. Erikson's office.

Officer Micheals was sitting behind Dr. Erickson's desk with a tape recorder lying on the table. Chief Swan was standing in the corner looking sad, angry, and concerned all at once. This had to be harder on him than the rest of us. I made a mental note to hug him before I left.

"Please sit, Miss Hale." Officer Micheals stated and I sat. "Would you please give me your recount of the past seventy two hours, in as much detail as possible, please?"

"Of course." I stated.

I told him everything I knew from the phone call Alice gave me on Monday night, saying that Bella was upset and needed to wallow to her calling me at Emmett's house to say that Jacob was in the hospital right down to the moment when I got clever and texted Jasper behind my back. Officer Micheals stopped me when I got to that part.

"I'm confused." he stated. "Both you and Mr. Whitlock, say that you texted the word help to him and that's how he knew to come and help. However, according to Miss Swan and Mr. McCarty, you were not in a position to be able to get your phone out and text someone without being noticed. Would you kindly explain to be how that happened?"

I smiled at him, but my heart was racing. What if he really did think this skill was bullshit? I hoped not because if he did, we may have been screwed.

"As you may know, there is a no cell phone policy at Forks High School and, as you may also know, students like to test that to its limits. I'm no different. However, I've become so good at sneaking around with my cell phone, that I can pull it out anywhere without being noticed, as well as sending texts without looking at the screen. I pulled off one of the greater tricks of getting it out of my front pocket and behind my back without them seeing. I texted Jasper without looking at it." I answered with a shrug.

"Can anyone, other than Mr. Whitlock, confirm this?" Officer Micheals asked.

"Any of my friends can confirm the fact that I can text without looking as well as pull out my phone without getting caught, they've seen it many times. However, Alice did happen to see the phone behind my back as I was sending the text. She can tell you that's what I was doing."

"Very well, Miss Hale, please continue." he stated.

I sighed again and finished the story. I couldn't gauge whether or not he believed my story as I continued to talking. I could only hope. He, however, didn't interrupt me again, so I took that a s a good sign.

I finished the story and he told me I could leave. I was to send Alice in next.

**ALICE**

I walked into Dr. Erikson's office, feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Why shouldn't I? We didn't do anything wrong. We just saved our friend from two very evil people. There was nothing wrong with that. Yes, we should've left it for the authorities but we couldn't risk Bella's safety anymore that it already was.. Still, there was nothing wrong with that either.

Officer Micheals was sitting behind his desk with a tape recorder in his hand. Chief Swan was standing in a corner looking sullen and very angry. I actually don't think that I've ever seen him look that angry in my life. I was a little terrified of him at the moment.

"Miss Brandon, good evening." Officer Micheals greeted and gestured to a chair. I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest. "Please tell me about the situation with Mr. Masen and Miss Swan?"

I started talking about everything. I had to go all the way back to Edward's violent outbursts and how he pushed me down the stairs because I didn't want him dating Bella. I told him Ed made him get help after that night and how he was getting better. Which is why I let Edward go out with Bella. Once we got back to the present, I told him everything that happened from finding, Edward and Jessica in the library, to finding Jacob on the lawn and right down to the rescue. I told him about every little detail of the rescue.

"I do have one question, Miss Brandon." Officer Micheals stated when I got to Jasper's entrance."Miss Hale and Mr. Whitlock both said that Miss Hale texted Mr. Whitlock that you were all in trouble.. She said that you saw her with her phone when no one else did. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir it is." I stated. "Rose has this uncanny ability to pull out her phone, unnoticed by anyone, and text without looking at it."

"I see. You may continue."

I finished the story with Jacob being stabbed and me telling Rose to call Charlie.

"Thank you, Miss Brandon. You may go back. Would you kindly tell Mr. Black that we'll be to his room, momentarily to take his statement?"

"Of course." I stated as I headed out the door.

**JACOB**

By the time the officer had finished talking to everyone, Bella had curled back into my beds. I had my arms wrapped tightly around her and was weaving my fingers through her hair. I didn't know why but when she was laying next to me, the pain from the wound seemed to dull more than it did when I was doped up on morphine. I think it was a mental thing.

I believed that just being near my angel and knowing that she was alive and safe made everything better. Hence the reason the pain went away when she was laying next to me. I didn't think that I be able to let her go ever again. It just felt so wonderful lying there with her.

I had even mananged to forget everything that had happened in the last seventy two hours. In fact, I forgot everything except Bella as we laid there. Nothing else in the world mattered at the moment. It was just her and I in our own little bubble. It was something that I had been dieing to have for years and now that it was here, I didn't think that I could live without it. However, a bubble has to burst eventually, right?

Ours did the minute Officer Micheals entered the room with Chief Swan. I sighed knowing what they wanted.

"We need to speak with Mr. Black, alone right now." Officer Micheals stated and the others made to leave.

I caught Bella's wrist and pulled her back to me before planting a gentle kiss on her lips and whispering I love you. She smiled withthat beautiful blush I loved so much and then she was gone. I sighed again and looked at Officer Micheals.

"So Mr. Black, I'd like to offer you my best wishes before we begin." Officer Micheals stated as he sat.

"Thank you." I stated. "I appreciate that."

"Now, I need you to tell me everything you remember about this whole ordeal." he said.

I told him what I remembered.I first told him, how much I loved Bella and that I would do anything for her. He gave me a-thank-you-captain-obvious-look at those words. I just continued with the story, though. I told him how devastated Bella was when she caught Edward with Jessica. I told him about confessing my love to her the next afternoon then about how Edward came and beat me up. I told him about us planning the rescue and everything that went down with that.

Officer Micheals didn't stop me or ask any question. I was pretty thorough with it. I wanted to make sure that asshole was locked up and couldn't get his hands on Bella again.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Black." he stated once I finished. "Here's my card." he handed me several of them. "Give one to your friends. And tell them to call me if any of you remember anything else."

"Right." I nodded.

"Chief, I need to have a private word with you." he stated looking at Charlie. "We'll send your friends back in."

He and Charlie left the room. I could tell how angry Charlie was the entire time he was in that room with us. He just stod there stone faced and staring at nothing. I had to admit, I didn't want to be Edward the next time Charlie went to see him. Edward would deserve whatever he got, though.

Bella and the others came back in a minute later and I stopped thinking about the asshole. My friends surrounded my bed and Bella crawled back into curling herself into my chest. I was back in my little bubble of perfection where nobody could hurt me or my sweet beautiful angel.

**A/N: What do you guys think? I had a hard time because I'm like so tired. You have no idea. I hope you all enjoyed. Please review. **


	32. Friends Again

**A/N: So guys, this is the second to last chapter of White Horse. I know a lot of you wanted a trial scene. However, I'm not exactly sure how the whole court room scene works and I don't want to screw up a good story with a messed up scene that I'm unsure of. Also, the muses tell me that if I were to drag this story on any longer, it wouldn't work out that well. And I'm, as you know, a slave to the muses. Besides, there's really only one lose end left to tie up. Don't worry, there's going to be one more chapter that is going to be all about Bella and Jacob and there's going to be a little surprise for all of you. **

**TWO WEEKS LATER........**

**BELLA **

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Jacob asked placing his arm around my waist as we walked up to the Stanley's house.

It was about two weeks after my rescue. Jacob had been released from the hospital four days ago, in order to attend and testify in Edward and James's trial. He wasn't completely healed, that would take several weeks of physical therapy. However, Dr. Erikson gave him the okay to go back to his normal activity, so long as he didn't strain himself. My friends and I were taking great care to make sure that he followed the doctor's orders.

Edward and James's trial began four days ago. It took two days for all of us to tesity and get all of the evidence seen and heard. I had to undergo several phsycological test, as well. Edward had tried to convince the jury that what happened to my mother turned me into a submissive nympho who liked it when we'd roleplay that I was raping him. He told them that it was all just a game and I had consented to everything that he did and tried to do to me. It was a long couple of weeks for me. However, both boys were found guilty. James was sentenced to fourteen years in prison for kidnapping. While Edward was sentenced to sixteen for the kidnapping as well as the attempted rape.

They were both taken to a bigger prison outside of Forks the minute the trial ended. I couldn't have felt better about myself after that. I was free from Edward with no worries of him ever hurting me again. I had all of my friends and most importantly, I had Jacob. Unfortunately, there was one thing that I didn't have and it wasn't until recently that I realized I wanted it back. Jessica's friendship.

Yes, I knew what she did and how essentially it was that act that caused everything to spiral out of control the way it had. In fact, I was still upset with her for that, but in the things she did after, I could tell that she was trying hard to make up for the pain that she had caused me. I mean, she told my friends where she thought they could find me, then she'd turned around and testified that Edward was a complete asshole in bed and always had to be in control. She told them about the many times he tied her up and made her do things she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Unfortunately, that meant that she also had to admit to liking the things that he did to her. It was something she did with good graces, though.

It was those acts that made me realize what a wonderful friend I had lost, over something as stupid as a boy. It made me realize that the horrible things that we had done for each other didn't erase the fact that Alice, Rosalie, Jessica and I had been like sisters since grade school. We were there for her when her mother lost everything and she was there for me when I went through everything with my mother. She was there when Rosalie's father died of cancer and when Alice's mother married Ed.

We'd been through everything togather and did whatever we could to help each other. This time was no different. Jessica was there for me when I needed to her to be, even with the ugliness that passed between us in the last year. She proved that she could put our stupid boy drama aside for the sake of my life and safety and I decided that I could put it aside too, for the sake of our friendship. Forgive and forget, that's what friends did, right?

I decided that was the best course of action from this point on. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jacob agreed with me and offered to accompany on what was sure to be an awkward and somewhat tearfilled conversation. I had accepted out of nervousness. Besides, bringing them along was a win/win situation for everyone. I didn't want to be alone if she rejected my apology and if she accepted, we'd have friends to celebrate with. I hoped she'd accept my apology.

"Yes." I answered him. "After everything that she's done for me since that night at the apartment, it wouldn't be right if I didn't."

"That may be true, babe." he said. "But if that's the only reason your doing it, then things are just going to worse."

"That's why it's not the only reason." I said stopping halfway in the garden to look at him. The others were trailing behind, holidng their own individual conversations. "Everything that happened with Edward has made me realize what's important in my life. And Jessica's friendship is important to me. Edward made me forget that for awhile, but now that, I've remembered, I what Jess to know it too."

Jacob nodded with a smile, then leaned down to kiss. I, of course, kissed him back with us much force as I could muster. It was crazy how much I loved him. I couldn't believe I had gone most of my life just being his friend. I wasn't positive how I survived it, honestly. I needed to be near him and feel his lips against mine the same way I needed air to breathe. The feelings that I had for him were nothing compared to what I felt for Edward. And I couldn't believe that I let my small infatuation with Edward get in the way of those feelings. I could've been this happy a lot sooner, without all the drama, if I had only just given into those feelings when they first started to arise.

I was so into the kiss, in that moment with the love of my life, I had forgotten where we were and what were were going to do. I had forgotten that my ex best friend was inside and could come busting out and tell us to leave. I had even forgotten that our friends were coming up behind us and were no doubt preparing some witty remark. None of that mattered, at the time. All that mattered was Jacob's lips on mine. Sure enough, Emmett broke the magic of the moment only seconds after it had begun.

"Hey guys," He practically yelled, "Why don't you get a room?"

"Hey Em, why don't you go snog your own girlfriend for a change!" I replied when Jacob and I parted.

"Hey, leave me out of this." Rose replied indignantly. "Besides, he snogs me plenty, thank you."

We all laughed as we continued heading towards Jessica's door. When we got there, I couoldn't help but reconsider the idea for a moment. What if she didn't want to repair things the way I did? What if she told us just to leave? I didn't want that to happen. We had been figthing for too long. I just wanted my friend back, but what if she didn't want me back?

Jacob, who always seemed to know what I was thinking, leaned over to my ear and whisepered,

"You're never going to know until you knock on that door."

He then squeezed my hand reassuringly. I smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips as a thank you. He didn't want it to end there, but I knew Emmett wouldn't keep his mouth shut, so I pulled away.

I took a deep breath and hesitated for another second before knocking on the door. It was a few minutes before Miss Stanley opened the door.

She was wearing a pair of loose fitting holey jeans and a form fitting purple tank top. She was barefoot and the outfit had several spots of dirt and water on it. Her auburn hair was disheveled and her face dirty. It looked as though we had caught her in the middle of one of her house cleaning days. She had a look of surprise on her face as she opened the door and realized it was her daughter's old group of friends.

"This is quite the surprise." she stated staring us up and down.

Jessica and Miss Stanley had one of those close mother/daughter relationships. Jessica told her mom everything. Which meant she, no doubt, heard all about the fight over Edward as well as Jessica's revenge and everything that followed.

"Hello, Miss Stanley." I stated, my voice shaking slightly. "Is Jessica home? We were hoping that we might be able to talk."

"Yes, she's here." Miss Stanley replied. "However, she's taking a nap. Everything that happened at the trial, has completely exhausted her."

"Right." I replied. "We understand completely. We'll just come back later."

"No, mom." said Jessica from behind Miss Stanley. "Let them in. I wasn't able to sleep anyway."

"Okay." Miss Stanley sighed.

I was sure she was having some second thoughts about letting us back into her house. I couldn't blame her. This group had hurt her daughter once over something completely stupid. Any mother would be less than happy to give us a chance to do it again. I just hoped that she'd give us a chance to prove that we wouldn't do it again.

Miss Stanley stepped out of the way so we could go inside. The front door opened directly into the living room. There was a forty inch T.V. to left left of the door, it was hooked up to a DVD/VCR combo and there was a srack of DVD's and VHS's next it. There was a loveseat against the opposite wall with a matching armchair directly in front of us.

I remembered the day she and her mom found the set sitting on a neighbors curb. The gang and I came when she called and helped them lug both pieces of furniture to her house. We then spent the next twelve hours scrubbing off spots of mud and cat pee. Then Miss Stanely, who was an ace with a needle, sewed patches over the wholes on both pieces. The finished product wasn't the best, but it was good enough for Jessica and her mom, who needed all the free stuff they could get.

"Have a seat." Miss Stanley stated gesturing to the funiture.

Jessica, who was in a pair of gray sweat pants and a pink cami with a pair of rainbow colored toe socks, sat on the floor in front of the loveseat. Jacob and I took the loveseat. Jacob sat on the end and I sat beside him, laying against his chest with my feet stretched out alongside me. I made sure that I wasn't hurting him before I got to comfortable. He wrapped his arms around me and I entwined my fingers with his. Emmett took the armchair and pulled Rosalie onto his lap. She pulled her legs up and shifted her weight so most of it was against the arm of the chair. Alice sat beside Jessica on the floor with Jasper on her other side. Jasper entwined his fingers with hers.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Miss Stanley asked, trying to be pleasant.

"No , thank you, Miss Stanley." I replied with a smile.

"Okay, well, I'm sure you remember where the kitchen is, should you change your mind." she smiled.

Everyone murmured their affirmation, then Miss Stanley excused herself to finish cleaning the bathroom. We sat in an awkward uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. I wasn't completely sure what I should or could say to help this situation.

"Jess, I know this last year hasn't been very good between us and I'm sorry for that. Really I am." I began. "I did some thing that I really shouldn't have as your friend. I hurt you in the worst possible way by getting with Edward when I knew how much you cared about him. That was the worst kind of blaspemy I could've committed against theis relationship. I deserved nothing more than what you did in retaliation. To tell the truth, though, after seeing the way the whole thing played out, I'm glad you did what you did. You made me see the mistake that I made in choosing him. I'll be forever grateful for that. I'm also grateful for everything that you did to help get him locked up. Wihtout you, they may not have gotten convicted. I could only imagine what you've gone through with everything that you had to admit to the public." I stopped long enough to take a breath. "I guess that I just wanna say thank you so much for everything that you did to help me rid myself of Edward and I'm sorry for doing what I did to you. It was wrong and stupid of me to put Edward before you. And I'd like to ask you for your forgiveness because your friendship means everything to me."

I looked at her as she finished. She looked back at me. She had tears in her eyes but I could shock beneath the tears. I don't think she saw this coming, not after what happened with Edward.

"You mean you'd honestly be willing to forgive me for what I did with Edward behind your back?" she asked and I could hear her choking on her sob.

"Yes, because like I said, it made me realize that I was making a mistaked." I answered. "And also, because the whole situation had taught me what's important. And it's not some guy who will sleep with your best friend because you won't give him any. And it's not a guy who'll refuse to let you walk away from them. Hell, it's not a guy at all. It's friends that would do anything, including risk their lives and reputations for you. It's being with people who have seen you on your darkest days and help you get back into the sun. It's people like you. Edward made me forget that but the events that followed what happened in the aparment that night helped me to remember. Edward is nothing compared to the seven of you and I never want to forget that. We've been through everything together, especially you, Rosalie, Alice, and I. I don't know how I would've made it through the five years after my mom's death without you guys. I don't want anything to come between us again. So what do you say, can we try to be friends again?"

"Of course." she replied.

I disentangled myself from Jacob and went to hug her. Rose and Alice joined us a second later and with some coaxing, the boys moved in as well. Jacob, of course, stayed on the outer lines of the hug. Nobody wanted him to upset his still healing wound. We stayed like that for a minute or so before the boys got clever and started to squeeze the breath out of us. We just laughed when they released us, we'd get them back for ruining our moment later.

"So, you guys wanna watch a movie or something?" Jessica asked once our laughter subsided. "I just got the new Harry Potter."

"Yes!" the girls chorused while the guys groaned.

Jessica crawled over and popped the DVD in. As we sat in a big cluster in front of the loveseat, I realized just how lucky I had been all along without Edward. I had a group of wonderful friends who wouldn't let me down for anything and a guy who truly lovcd me for me and that's what made him so much wonderful.

Jacob didn't care that I was freaked out about sex because of what happened to my mother. He didn't care that I refused to go further than making out with him. And he had no intention of pressuring me into it.

Whenever I worried about never being able to have sex because of what happened, Jacob would tell me that it would happen when it was meant to. I truly believed that now because the man I was with believed it too.

As the movie started, Jaocob wrapped his arm back around me and I snuggled my head into his chest. Jessica was laying next to us with he head on my lap and I was stroking her hair. Alice and Jasper were cuddled beside her and she had her feet on Alice's lap, while Rosalie laid with her on Jessica's hip. Emmett was sitting on the chair, by himself, because he didn't like our little floorgies.

Yup, life definitely couldn't get any better than this.

**A/N: I hope that turned out okay. It's the last chapter but there's going to be an epilogue. I hope everyone liked how I ended it. I'm still working on ended my stories better, so don't get too upset with me. Finally, for those who don't know what a floorgy is, it's supposed to be an orgy on the floor. However, most teenagers use it to descride of pile of teenagers sitting and laying on each other. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading White Horse as much as I enjoyed writing it. However, there is only the epilogue to go and it's over. Thanks for reading. Please review. **


	33. Epilogue

**A/N: So this is the epilogue to White Horse. This story has been a long and crazy ride. It was definitely a hard one for me to write. It seems like it took forever. I want to thank all of you for support through this one. I know it wasn't the easiest one to keep up with. I do have an idea for a sequel. However, I'm going to finish my Bella/Jasper fic and then take a hiatus from fanfiction to work on my own novel. So you'll have to wait a few months for that. You should read my other stuff, if you get too bored without me. Anyway, onec again, thanks for your support. I khope you like the end of this one. **

**THREE YEARS LATER..........**

**ALICE **

The last three years have been the best and craziest time of my life. They were made better by the fact that we made up with Jessica. I couldn't even believe it had been three years since all that crazy shit with Edward anyway.

Edward was still in prison with no chance of parole, thank God for that. Bella rarely ever thought about him anymore, and none of us had ever even visited him. Ed had visited him once. Which was simply to tell him that he was being disowned and cut off. Ed told him not to even bother coming home when he got out. He'd just get the door slammed in his face.

Under normal circumstances, I would've said that was a little harsh. However, I don't think that I could find it in my heart to feel sympathy for Edward ever again. I hated him for what he did to my best friend. I'd never forgive him for any of it.

Ed kept his promise to me. I did what I had to do to put Edward in jail and protect my best friend and Ed still loved me just the same when it was over. In fact, sometimes, I thought he loved me a little more. I knew he still loved me four months ago when I told him that I was pregnant with Jasper's baby.

Ed was estatic that he was going to be a grandfather. He even offered to pay for anything and everything the baby needed. I, of course, knew that wouldn't be necessary, because with everything that I had saved up and what Jasper got paid, we'd be okay to start out.

I was already letting Ed pay my college tuition. I was working to get my bachelor's degree in language arts so that I could teach high school literature and drama. I wanted to be able to provide something better for my child.

Ed also agreed to let Jasper marry, as long as Jasper allowed him to pay his way through college too. Ed didn't want his grandchild's father to have to be working more than he was spending time with his family. Jasper agreed to get a degree as a computer technician.

I couldn't have been happier about how things turned out. Emmett and Rosalie were doing very well too.

Rosalie was currently attending school to become a fashion designer, while Emmett was working to become a physical education teacher and boxing coach. The two had plans to get married after graduation as well. Surprisingly, with the way those two go at it, Rosalie has yet to be with child.

Jessica is doing great as well. She met Jacob's friend, Seth at Bella's high school graduation party and the two have been inseperable since. She has decided to take some time away from school and pursue her dream of becoming a novelist. Seth, who was a year behind us, is studying to become a veteranerian. He loves animals so much.

I have to admit, even with all of the craziness, I couldn't ask for a better family of friends.

**BELLA **

The last three years have been some of the hardest, yet the best of my life.

It was decided, after my many phsycological evaluations, that, even though, there wasn't anything wrong with me, I could benefit from some sexual therapy. The doctors seemed to think that it was something that I couldn't get over without help. Charlie and I agreed and he sent me to the best therapist in Washington.

Jacob was even invited to come to a few sessions. We were taught ways to pleasure each other while keeping things slow and comfortable for me. It all worked very well and a year and a hald after my therapy began, Jacob and I finallt made it all the way.

It was the most wonderful and exciting experience that I had ever had. I was glad to repeat it often. Jacob was always so kind and gentle. He always made sure that I was comfortable with everything he did to me and never made me do anything I didn't want to. That's why I loved him.

I, of course, made him use a condom that first time and got on birth control shortly after. Yes, we wanted a family, but not quite yet. We both wanted to get through college and be able to support one first. I was currently working on a degree in public speaking. I wanted to be able to go all over the world and tell women the dangers and effects of rape, whether they're the victim or a bystander. I wanted to share my story and help girls avoid having the same things happened to them or someone they love. Jacob, who loved working on cars, was working very hard on becoming a mechanic. We still had too much work ahead of us to add a baby to the mix.

Jacob, however, did propose about six months after our first time, and I excepted. We got married eight months later.

It was a simple wedding on the beach of La Push. The girls all wore simple spaghetti strapped sun dresses while the boys were in short sleeved button up shirts and khaki pants. Everyone was barefoot in the sand. We decided to invite only close friends and relatives with left us with around fifty guests. A pretty decent number.

The wedding party consisted of Alice as my maid of honor and Jessica, Rosalie, and Leah as my bridesmaid. Seth was Jacob's best man while Emmett, Jasper, and Jacob's good friend, Embry were his groomsman.

It was a short and beautiful service followed by a reception full of swimming, eating, drinking, and dancing. In short, it was the best day of my life.

It's been about for months since that day and I still couldn't be happier. Edward was jail and not getting out for a long time, I had the best friends a girl could ask for, and an almost perfect husband.

My only regret; Allowing Edward to keep me from seeing that Jacob was my true prince on a white horse.

**THE END**

**A/N: Well, what do you think of that ending? Please review it. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did. **


	34. Without You Trailer

**A/N: I knwo you guys are probably getting sick of the author's notes all of the time, but I just wanted to let you know that the amazing, Lis123 has struck again. She made a trailer/video for the entire Without You Series. I thought that I'd leave a note on all of my stories. If you've read the series, you should watch the video to see how awesome she is and if you haven't she did a fantastic job of depicting the story and you should check out the video. Anyway, her Youtube channel is Lisalmf123 and the video is titled Without You Series. You should all check it out and leave her some love. **


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